The structure is crowned with a ten-meter-high bronze statue of the Virgin, the work of the Italian artist, Pierroti. The base houses a small chapel seating about 100 people. Our Lady of Zahle and the Beqaa The Zahlé area has some scattered ancient remains indicating a history going back at least to the Bronze Age (1200 - 3000 B.C.). You can see cave tombs in the cliffs of the Wadi el-Aarayesh, while Byzantine, Roman and Canaanite sarcophagi and ancient pottery sherds have been found in the hills around the city.