Ethiopia III Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
"Return to Ethiopia" Trip
September 22 - October 7, 2012
50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps in Ethiopia
October 2 - Tuesday
Debre Birhan Selassie Church - Gondar
The Debre Birhan Selassie Church in Gondar is famed for its beautiful examples of Ethiopian church art.
Debre Birhan Selassie was built by Emperor Eyasu II in the 17th Century. It was named Debre Birhan, "Mountain of Light," after the Emperor's nickname as well as in honor of the church of the same name in Shewa. In exchange for the right of using its name, the Gondar church paid the Shewan church an annual tribute.When the Mahdist Dervishes of the Sudan sacked the city of Gondar in 1888, they burned down every church in the city except Debre Birhan Selassie. According to legend, when the Mahdist soldiers approached the church, a swarm of bees descended on the compound of the church and kept the soldiers back, and the Archangel Michael himself stood before the large wooden gates with a flaming sword drawn.
The outside of Debre Birhan Selassie is somewhat plain looking, but its interior has made it one of Ethiopia's top tourist attractions.The walls depict biblical scenes and saints and the ceiling is covered with the faces of hundreds of angels. Icons of the Holy Trinity (three identical men with halos) and the Crucifixion are located above the entrance to the Holy of Holies.
Above the floor of the church are the curtained windows of the second story stall from which Emperor Eyasu II and his mother Empress Mentewab would look down on the ceremonies.
(Important note: All photographs, except where mentioned, are copyrighted as of October 8, 2012, by Darrel and Betty Hagberg. Please request permission to use and please credit them).
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Betty McLaughlin Hagberg, Web Master
Updated on 9 November 2012
