Ur Khidane Mehret is a church on the Zega peninsula of Lake Tana , one of the buildings of the Monastery of Mercy dedicated to the patron saint of Ethiopia, George the Victorious [1] .
History
The monastery was founded by Betre Mariam in the XIV century , the church dates from the XVI century , the building took a modern look in the XVII century . Inside the walls of the temple are decorated with frescoes on biblical motifs and scenes from the life of Ethiopian saints [2] .
In the next wing is the treasury of the monastery and the robes of emperors ( Johannes IV , Theodros II , etc.) and their family members. [3] .
Ur Khidane Mehret, along with the monasteries of Kebran Gabriel of the 13th century and Narga Selassie on the island of Dec of the 17th century , are the most visited tourist places on Lake Tana. Most of them come from the city of Bahr Dar [2] [4] . Unlike most island monasteries, women are allowed to enter the Monastery of Mercy.
Monks of the monastery move around the lake in papyrus boats . It was here that Thor Heyerdahl procured material for the construction of Ra and Ra-2 [5] .
The building in the monastery
Bells
Church interior
Church interior
Church interior
Notes
- ↑ Their morals. Ethiopia: Rope leading to the temple
- ↑ 1 2 Philip Briggs, Guide to Ethiopia, fifth edition (Old Saybrook: Globe Pequot Press, 2009), p. 211
- ↑ Stuart Munro-Hay, Ethiopia, the unknown land: a cultural and historical guide (London: IB Tauris, 2002), p. 176
- ↑ Historic Places of Ethiopia (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Tour Heyerdahl. Ra