Ethiopia - The Virgin of Zion

Axum · Tigray · Etiopía · Century IV

The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia

Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world to adopt Christianity: King Ezana of Axum became around the year 330 d.C., making it one of the first Christian states in history, contemporary of the Milan Edict of Constantine. The Ethiopian Orthodox Iglesia (Tewahedo) retains a 17-century-old liturgical and devotional tradition.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Zion in Axum

La Church of Our Lady of Zion in Axum (Tigray, northern Ethiopia) is the most important church in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The first church in that place was built in the fourth century by King Ezana. The current structure dates from the 17th century (reign of the Emperor Fasiladas, 1638). Next to it is a smaller and older church (V century) where, according to tradition, the Ark of the Alliance.

The Ark of the Alliance

The Ethiopian tradition - collected in the "Kebra Nagast" (Glory of the Kings), a sacred Ethiopian text of the 14th century - states that the Ark of the Covenant was taken to Ethiopia by Menelik I, son of King Solomon and Queen of Saba. The Ark would since be guarded in Axum, within a small chapel adjacent to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Zion, kept by a single guard monk who never abandons her and can never be replaced until her death.

The Axum Ark has never been verified by external researchers: the Ethiopian Church prohibits any inspection. Historians and archaeologists keep the debate open.

Mary of Zion and Ethiopian devotion

The devotion to the Virgin Mary is deep and ancient in Ethiopia. The name "Mary of Zion" connects Mary to Zion (Jerusalem), a city of which the Church is a figure. The Feast of Our Lady of Zion (30 Tahsas according to the Ethiopian calendar, equivalent to December) is the largest Marian celebration in Ethiopia, with pilgrimages from all the nation to Axum.