Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Ethiopia was one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity in the first half of the 4th century, and its historical roots date to the time of the Apostles. The churches themselves date from the 7th to 13th centuries, and are traditionally dated to the reign of the Zagwe (Agaw) king Gebre Meskel Lalibela (r. c. 1181–1221). [2]
The eleven Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela are monolithic churches located in the western Ethiopian Highlands near the town of Lalibela, named after the late-12th and early-13th century King Gebre Meskel Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who commissioned the massive building project of 11 rock-hewn churches to recreate the holy city of Jerusalem in his own kingdom.
This makes Ethiopia one of the first regions in the world to officially adopt Christianity. [4] [5] Various Christian denominations are now followed in the country. Of these, the largest and oldest is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, an Oriental Orthodox church centered in Ethiopia.
Church of Saint George, Lalibela, Ethiopia, Built in the 12th century, one of the oldest church buildings in Ethiopia (Ethiopian Orthodox Church)
Abuna Yemata Guh is a monolithic church located in the Hawzen woreda of the Tigray Region, Ethiopia.It is situated at a height of 2,580 metres (8,460 ft) [1] and has to be climbed on foot to reach.
The church was built in 1877 by Emperor Menelik II characterized by octagonal domes. [1] [2] [3] Founded on the Entoto Hills about 2.5 km away, [4] it is the oldest church in Ethiopia, and the burial places of Menelik and his wife Taytu in a tomb called "Shera Bet" built in 1918. [5] Eucalyptus trees are available through the church.
The Ethiopian Church does not call for circumcision, yet it is a cultural practice, [84] as is abstention from pork and other meats deemed unclean. It is not regarded as being necessary to salvation. The liturgy mentions, "let us not be circumcised like the Jews." [85] The Ethiopian Orthodox Church observes days of ritual purification.
The Church of Saint Mary of Zion claims to contain the original Ark of the Covenant. Accordingly, the Ark was moved to the Chapel of the Tablet adjacent to the old church because a divine 'heat' from the Tablets had cracked the stones of its previous inner sanctum. The Ethiopian Empress Menen funded the construction of the present chapel.