Saint Mary of Zion of Axum

Marian Advocation of Axum (Ethiopia)

La Church of St. Mary of Zion (Our Lady Mary of Zion) is located in Aksum (Axum), in northern Ethiopia, and belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Iglesia Tewahedo. Christianity became an official religion of the Kingdom of Aksum towards the year 340 d.C.under King Ezana, which makes Ethiopia one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. Tradition considers this place the country's main Christian sanctuary and the spiritual heart of the Ethiopian Church, even though the patriarchal seat is today in Addis Ababa.

Main data

Origin and history

La Church of St. Mary of Zion (Our Lady Mary of Zion) is located in Aksum (Axum), in northern Ethiopia, and belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Iglesia Tewahedo. Christianity became an official religion of the Kingdom of Aksum towards the year 340 d.C.under King Ezana, which makes Ethiopia one of the oldest Christian nations in the world. Tradition considers this place the country's main Christian sanctuary and the spiritual heart of the Ethiopian Church, even though the patriarchal seat is today in Addis Ababa.

Documented history: The original structure of the church dates back to the fourth century, in the context of the Christianization of the aksumita kingdom. The building has been destroyed and rebuilt several times: a first destruction is noted towards the X century and another in the XVI century; the church was rebuilt and then expanded in the XVII century, in Gondarino style, under the emperors Galawdewos and Fasiladas. In the 20th century, the Emperor Haile Selassie had to build a new cathedral of Santa Maria de Zion In the 1950s, to better host the great celebrations and open the liturgical space to men and women alike.

Tradition and legend: According to the Ethiopian traditionthe Chapel of the Ark of the Alliance, within the same compound, Arca original de la Alianza, betrayed from Jerusalem to Aksum by Menelik Ison of king Solomon and the queen of Sheba (Makeda). This tradition, deeply rooted in Ethiopian piety and national identity, does not have external historical verification, but structure much of the local devotion and symbolic relevance of the sanctuary. The custody of the Ark would, in this tradition, be the ultimate reason for the St. Mary of Zion complex.

The image and the sanctuary

The name "Holy Mary of Zion" refers first and foremost to the complex sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, rather than to a single concrete image. The premises today comprise mainly three buildings: Old Church of Santa Maria de Zion, la Chapel of the Ark of the Alliance y la New Church of St. Mary of Zion.

– Old Church of St. Mary of Zion: Most of the current structure refers to the 17th century, following the reconstruction and expansion in time of Fasiladas, in the style of Gondarina architecture. It is a temple of traditional Ethiopian plant, with areas of restricted access and rich relics, including crowns and ancient liturgical objects, including a crown attributed by tradition to the first Christian bishop of Ethiopia, Abuna Salama. Access to the interior is highly regulated, especially for women, according to the discipline of the place.

– Chapel of the Ark of the Alliance: It is a small construction, within the same enclosure, whose only purpose is to house and protect the Ark of the Alliance, according to Ethiopian tradition. Only a specially appointed guardian can access the interior and see the venerated object; neither pilgrims nor researchers have access, which underlines its strictly sacro character and reserved within the local imaginary. Next to the ancient chapel, a new chapel has been built for this same purpose.

– New Church of St. Mary of Zion: Mandated to be built by Emperor Haile Selassie in the 50's of the 20th century, it greatly expands the space for the multitudinary ceremonies and is characterized by a modern style, with dome and wide interior spaces. It is the most visible building for many pilgrims and tourists, and functions as a Marian cathedral for great liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Tewahedo.

About a imagen marian concrete (type of icon, material, specific iconography) do not contain precise data in the sources consulted. In the Ethiopian context, the presence of painted icons of the Virgin with the Child (Maryam and the Child Jesus), of traditional African-eastern style, but in the case of Saint Mary of Zion there is no unique image universally identified as a statue or main icon of worship, differentiated from the whole of the sanctuary.

Sponsorship and coronation

Saint Mary of Zion is considered the spiritual center of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Tewahedo and, de facto, a sanctuary of reach National, given its link to the religious and dynastic history of Ethiopia. There is no modern formal proclamation as a "national sanctuary" in Catholic canonical terms, since it belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but its role within the religious life of the country is similar to a great national sanctuary.

Historically, St. Mary of Zion has been the traditional place of coronation of Ethiopia's emperors, which were crowned before the symbolic presence of the Ark guarded in the enclosure. This function reinforces the character of patronage on the Ethiopian monarchy and on the Ethiopian people themselves, who are recognized as being protected by the intercession of Maryam in this place.

As regards canonical coronation of an image of the Virgin, according to the discipline of the Latin Catholic Church, does not contain a documented canonical coronation for this advocation, neither granted by a Roman Pontiff nor by his delegates, since it is a sanctuary of Ethiopian Orthodox tradition and available sources do not mention any rite of coronation in the Catholic sense.

Party and devotion

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church Tewahedo celebrates a very high number of Marian parties (tens throughout the year), and the devotion to Maryam (the Virgin Mary) It occupies a central place in Ethiopian piety. Saint Mary of Zion, as the main Marian sanctuary, participates in this very intensive calendar, in which the Virgin is celebrated in various memories linked to her mysteries and to the life of Christ.

In Axum, the liturgy and devotion are especially solemn in the great feasts of the Ethiopian Church, as Stick (Epiphany) and the main solemnities of the Virgin, with long vigil, processions, singing, liturgical dances and intense popular participation. Many faithful gather around the compound of Santa Maria de Sion, especially in the great national celebrations, although there are no recent official figures of inflow in the sources consulted.

On a "main party" specific to Santa Maria de Zion (with a single date and its own, other than general Marian parties), in the revised sources does not contain a specific date clearly defined. The sanctuary is integrated into the wide Marian cycle of the Ethiopian Church, which devotes to the Mother of God numerous commemorations throughout the year, with constant pilgrimages to the Axum compound.

Link to the Rosary

In the tradition of Saint Mary of Zion of Axumwhich belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church Tewahedo, there is no specific and documented link with the Rosary prayer as understood in Latin Catholic spirituality. The sources on the sanctuary highlight the veneration of Maryam, the centrality of the Ethiopian liturgy, the veneration of the Ark of the Alliance and the great Marian parties, but do not mention the Rosary as a characteristic practice of the place.

However, from a Catholic perspective, the Rosary can deeply accompany the contemplation of this advocation:

– En Santa María de Sión, la Virgen aparece vinculada al mystery of the Alliance: en la tra