Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion

The great Ethiopian Orthodox Church (aka the Tewahedo Church) of Our Lady Mary of Zion (?Igzi?itne Maryam S?iyon Yeityop'iya Ortodoks Baytekristiyan? in the languages of Ethiopia) is one of the oldest churches, if not the oldest church, of Ethiopia. The original church was built during the reign of Ezana/Abriha, the first Orthodox Christian emperor of Ethiopia, during the 300s AD.

The church, in the ancient town of Axum, Tigray, claims to possess the original Ark of the Covenant. According to tradition, Menelik I brought it to Ethiopia after visiting his father King Solomon.

Since its founding during the episcopacy of St. Frumentios (known in Ethiopia as "Abune Selama Kesatay Birhan" or "Our Father of Peace and Revealer of Light") the Church of Mary of Zion has been destroyed and rebuilt at least twice. Its first destruction occurred at the hands of the Felasha leader Yodit/Gudit. Its second destruction occurred several centuries later at the hands of the great Muslim warrior of Harer Mehamed/Ahmed Gragn, after which it was rebuilt by the Emperor St. Fasiledes during the 1500s.

In the 1900s the Emperor Hailay Silasay built a new, much grander cathedral next to the original Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion that was open to both men and women (the old church remains accessible only to men, as Mary, symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant resting in its chapel, is the only woman allowed within its compound).

Outsiders are also not allowed to view the Ark, in accordance with the Bible accounts of the dangers of doing so for non-Levites. This lack of accessibility has caused scholars to heavily doubt the veracity of the claim.

Today the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which has reportedly moved the Ark to a recently built chapel adjacent to the old church, remains a significant center of pilgrimage for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, especially during the main feast of Our Lady Mary on 30 November (21 Hidar on the Ethiopian calendar).