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Aksum
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion

Aksum

Guardian of the Ark? · Ethiopia

Aksum was the capital of a powerful trading kingdom that became Christian in the 4th century, when King Ezana was baptised by the bishop Frumentius. Ethiopian tradition tells that the Ark of the Covenant was brought here from Jerusalem by Menelik, the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. It is said to be kept in a chapel next to the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. Today you can also see the giant carved stone obelisks of the ancient kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Did you know?

Only one monk, the guardian, may see the Ark. He stays with it for the rest of his life.

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An inspiring story

The captive who became a bishop

Can the worst day of your life become the beginning of something good?

In the 4th century two boys from Tyre, Frumentius and Aedesius, were travelling with their teacher on the Red Sea. When their ship called at a port, local people killed everyone on board, except the two boys. They were taken to the king of Aksum. Frumentius became his secretary and later helped raise the young prince Ezana. He sought out Christian traders and gave them places to meet and pray. Why stay, when he could finally go home? Because he saw a people ready to hear about Christ. He went to Alexandria, where Bishop Athanasius made him the first bishop of Ethiopia and sent him back.

Ethiopians still call him Abba Salama, 'father of peace'. A captive became the father of a church.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.Genesis 50:20

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