Abstract
Ernest Renan, French writer and philologist, was entrusted by Napoleon III with an archaeological mission to Phoenicia. He arrived in Beirut on October 29, 1860 with his sister Henriette. " Our first stay was in the village of Amschit (...), Zakhia made it extremely pleasant for us " wrote Renan in his book Ma sœur Henriette. Cornélie joined Ernest and Henriette in December 1860, but returned to France a few months later. This extended stay with a very welcoming family enabled the Renans to discover and experience the simple, carefree way of life of a Lebanese family.
This lecture, entitled "Les Renan à Amschit" (The Renans in Amschit), will explain the conditions of their stay in relation to the Zakhia family, as well as the consequences of this stay.
This Francophilia will develop over time. This personal and family relationship became a public encounter between a place (Amschit in Lebanon) and an institution in France (the Collège de France).
