The original church is believed to date from the 4th century under Ezana and was rebuilt several times. The article says a reported destruction by Queen Gudit in the 10th century is not confirmed, while the 16th-century destruction by Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Ghazi is the first confirmed one. Emperor Gelawdewos rebuilt it, and Fasilides rebuilt and enlarged it in the 17th century, with no year given.
The Old Church is Gondarine in style, built of stone and mortar. The New Church is a modern basilica with a dome, built of reinforced concrete and stone in the 1950s to 1964 under Haile Selassie. The article names no architects and gives no dimensions.
The Chapel of the Tablet adjoins the Old Church, and Empress Menen funded the present chapel. Tradition holds that the Ark of the Covenant is kept there, and only a guardian monk may view it, a claim the article calls disputed. Women may not enter the Old Church.
Comments