Harissa can be reached from Jounieh by road or by cable car- the first of its kind in the Middle East- on a 10-minute ride that takes you up 600 meters in altitude from the coast to the mountaintop. Near the cable car terminus is a church and a spectacular cathedral, as well as the famous and popular statue of the Virgin Mary, the Lady of Lebanon, erected in 1908. The area around Harissa is home to some 20 churches and monasteries.