Pierre Hélou aged 12 with his grandfather Salim Elias Hélou and his sister Colette

Values
Pierre Hélou was born into a family strong on values that had been passed on by successive generations. A well defined code of ethics is behind the actions and thoughts of this man whose stance throughout his political career, has always been the epitome of uncompromising principles and beliefs, i.e

	Integrity
	Sincerity
	Independence of mind
	Selflessness
	Social conscience

The pursuit of these values in politics earned him positions, titles and honors on many occasions. Pierre Hélou never hesitated to scarify them in the name of this code of conduct, which, as he says, is nonnegotiable.
« I was elected and reelected during 24 years because of my reputation and not on the basis of a political program. It was to my advantage but I would like this to change. »

Historical background

Serail of Baabda

Baabda village
In 1717, some members of the Hélou family left "Hesrayel" to settle in Baabda which was then an uninhabited forest land, apart from the ruins of an old monastery situated next to a water spring. The first new comers built their dwellings by this water spring and started clearing and cultivating the soil. This is how Baabda became the new place of abode of the Hélou family.
It extended over an area which included what is today known as Hazmieh, Brazilia, Mar Takla, Yarzé, Fiyadiyé, Loueyzé.
In fact, the borders of Baabda started at the Beirut River along the gateways of Furn El Chebback and extended to Kahalé.
The history of Baabda is closely linked to that of the Hélou family whose sons were prominent figures in various fields, on both the national and the international level.

Church of Mar Abda & Fawka
While the new inhabitants were getting to work to make the place more habitable, they discovered, while excavating next to the old monastery, a stoneslab engraved with Greek letters. They took it to the Archbishop of Beirut who translated the inscription. The name of Mar Abda (or Saint Abda) was mentioned on the slab so the prelate advised them to build a church named after the martyr saint. The Hélou Family decided then to add the name of their patron saint, "Mar Fawka" (Saint Focas).

Serail of Baabda
Around 1880-1883, Salim Elias Hélou, grandfather of Pierre Hélou, gave the inhabitants of Baabda enough money to buy the Serail, which they put at the disposal of the Turkish governor. By offering the building to the "Moutassaref", the village inhabitants succeeded in making Baabda the capital town of Mount Lebanon, allowing the Christians of the region to have a privileged relationship with the Turkish authorities.

Ain el Delbé
In 1930, Henri Salim Hélou, father of Pierre Hélou, was granted the water concession in the suburbs of Beirut. It remained under his management for 20 years, until the end of 1950. For the first time around Beirut, an irrigation project had succeeded with the support of Dutch techniques, something that four other companies had failed to do in the past.
The project of "Ain el Delbé" met the needs of the region which extended from the Jnah beaches to Khaldé, from Furn el Chebbak to Jamhour and from the Beirut River to Dbayé.

Saint-Anthony Monastery (of the Antonine)
Since they were big landowners, the Hélou family members donated a plot of land to the Antonine congregation to build a monastery and a school.They were meant for the nuns of the family and to educate the children of the area. In return, the monks gave the Hélous the privilege of holding the position of Father Superior of the monastery should one of them decide to join the monastery.

Industry, trade and development
Several industries and commercial firms were established and managed by members of the Hélou family in the region; they also employed people from the area. These firms are still operating today. Among the most famous ones are the ones created by Pierre Hélou or by his father Henri before him, such as: the steel and iron plant or the "Lebanese Industrial Society" (SILA) and, more recently, other industries such as "Ajax Aluminum" and "General Paint".
The real estate company launched by Pierre Hélou, "Society for real estate development" remains until now the most dynamic activity that contributed to the development of Baabda and its surroundings.