Ura Kidane Mehret: la iglesia mariana de la península de Zege

Zege Peninsula · Lake Tana · Ethiopia · Kidane Mihret: "Mercy Pact"

Ura Kidane Mehret is an Ethiopian Orthodox church located on the Zege Peninsula, in Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest water mass. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Kidane Mihret ("Mercy Pact"), the church houses one of the most important mural paintings of Ethiopian art and is the destination of pilgrimages where the faithful come to venerate the Mother of God and to receive the blessed water from the nearby spring.

The title Kidane Mihret

Kidane Mihret (en ge’ez: ኪዳነ ምሕረት, «Pacto de Misericordia» o «Alianza de Misericordia») es uno de los títulos marianos más importantes de la Iglesia ortodoxa etíope. Designa la intercesión de la Virgen María ante su Hijo en favor de la humanidad: María, como madre, suplica a Cristo misericordia para los pecadores. Esta devoción ha dado lugar a numerosas iglesias dedicadas a Kidane Mihret en toda Etiopía y Eritrea.

Among the most prominent churches with this title are: Ura Kidane Mehret on the Zege Peninsula (Lake Tana), Kidane Mihret in Ejersa Goro, Kidane Mihret in Menz, Kidane Mihret in Mount Zuqualla, and the Kidane Mehret Cathedral in Asmara (Eritrea). There is also a church of Kidane Mehret in Jerusalem.

The Zege Peninsula and Lake Tana

Lake Tana, located in the highlands of the north-west of Ethiopia at 1,788 metres altitude, is the source of the Blue Nile (Abbey). There are more than 20 Ethiopian monasteries and Orthodox churches on their islands and peninsulas, many of which date back to the XIV-XVI centuries. The Zege Peninsula, accessible by boat from the city of Bahir Dar, houses several of these shrines, being Ura Kidane Mehret the most visited.

The monasteries of Lake Tana were for centuries centres of handwritten production, preserving libraries of scrolls illustrated with miniatures of unique Ethiopian style. The coptic monks used vegetable inks and gold bread to create illustrations of biblical scenes, saints and the Virgin Mary that constitute an artistic heritage of unspeakable value.

The paintings

Ura Kidane Mehret is famous for his inner wall paintings, which cover the walls of the sanctuary with scenes of the Old and New Testament, the life of the Virgin Mary, Ethiopian saints and decorative motifs. These paintings, executed with natural pigments, show the characteristic style of Ethiopian art: figures of great eyes, living colors and a composition that combines the biblical narrative with local iconography.

The Marian devotion of Lake Tana

The faithful of the Lake Tana region come by boat to the Zege Peninsula during the main Marian parties, especially during Filseta (August 15, the Asunción) and during the celebrations of Kidane Mihret. The pilgrimage includes the veneration of the sacred paintings, the prayer of Marian hymns (qene), the burning of candles and incense, and the collection of holy water from the spring near the church, which is believed to have healing properties.