Debre Birhan Selassie Church, Gondar
View of Gondar town and its lake. Photo by Jean-Claude Morand.
Exterior of Debre Birhan Selassie Church. Photo by shesbitter.
The ceiling, populated with angels. Photo by Franck Zecchin.
Closer view of the ceiling. Photo by Martha de Jong-Lantink.
Painting of the Crucifixion at the entrance. Photo by Charles Roffey.
Priests of the church. Photos by Kyle and Martha de Jong-Lantink.
The Debre Birhan Selassie (Trinity and Mountain of Light) Church in Gondar is famed for its beautiful examples of Ethiopian church art. Built by an emperor and preserved by an archangel, it is also among the most important churches of Ethiopia.
History
Debre Birhan Selassie was built by Emperor Eyasu II (also known as Birhan Seged, "He to Whom the Light Bows") 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.
At the Debre Birhan Church in Shewa, a miraculous apparition of the Holy Light of God is said to have occured in the Middle Ages during the reign of Emperor Zera Yacob the Great. 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 local legend, when the Mahdist soldiers approached the church, a swarm of bees decended 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.
What to See
The outside of Debre Birhan Selassie is rather plain, 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 have pride of place 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.
Quick Facts
Flash photography is not allowed inside the dark church, so a tripod is necessary for the clearest pictures.
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of the Debre Birhan Selassie Church in Gondar. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Ethiopia Map or get our free Google Earth download.
- Ethiopia's Historical Route - GoNomad
