Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion
Axum, Ethiopia
Open to visitors
The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.
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The Church of Our Lady, Mary of Zion in Axum, Ethiopia, stands as the holiest site in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and is venerated as the repository of the Ark of the Covenant. Built in 1964 in Byzantine Revival style, the modern structure rises near the ancient Obelisks of Axum in the Tigray Region of northern Ethiopia. The church succeeds an original 4th-century edifice erected during the reign of Ezana, the Kingdom of Axum's first Christian ruler, which has undergone multiple reconstructions across the centuries. The sanctuary maintains a distinctive restriction: women are barred from entering the "Old Church," with only the shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary permitted to women within the grounds.
Movement
- Built
- Type
- church building
- Place
- Axum, Ethiopia
This building on
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Location