St Mary of Zion
church where the ark of the covenant is believed to be housed
Aksum has long been regarded a holy city for the Ethiopian Orthodox church. It forms the setting of the 14th-century work Kebra Negast (“Glory of the Kings”), which relates the tradition of the transference of the Ark of the Covenant from Jerusalem to Aksum by King Menilek I, legendary son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Makeda). According to tradition, the Church of St. Mary of Zion contains the Ark of the Covenant. Over the centuries, however, the church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times; the present structure dates from the 17th century. Emperor Haile Selassie I built the new Church of St. Mary of Zion near the old one in 1965.
Text from Encyclopedia Britannica
seen only by the caretaker
reading scripture in front of the church
Treasures of the old church
cross and drum used in religious ceremonies
an elaborate Ethiopian Coptic cross
religious crowns
keeper of the treasures
the caretaker holding a cross
the church of St. Mary of Zion
stairs to the church
building next to church entrance where often manuscripts were stored
remnant of an older carved stone
Other Photos of the Obelisk fragments
side of the church
opposite side
guide pointing out the ceremonial significance of the two holes
older building in the religious complex
