Wkro Mariyam
Encyclopedia
Wkro Mariyam is a monolithic church
in northern Ethiopia
. It is one of several churches located, in a remote region known as Amba Senneyti outside of the town of Nebelet, which is in the Mehakelegnaw Zone
of the Tigray Region
. It was first mentioned by the Catholic historian Manoel Barradas, whose Tractatus Tres Historico-Geographici was published in 1634. Its first modern description was published by Professor A. Mordini published a description of it in 1939.
The church is locally called wkro ("rock-hewn") to distinguish it from another church also dedicated to the Virgin Mary. (This spelling is used in this article to make it clear that this church is not in or near the town of Wukro
.
Ruth Plant described the pronaos and interior of Wkro Mariyam as "accurately carved", with three aisles and a depth of three bays, "with the central bay soaring considerably above the level of the ceiling rock of the side aisles." Plant singled out for mention the carved bosses in the center of the arches between the square pillars, and over the arch of the sanctuary "a rope-like carving found at Ghioghios, Maikado and elsewhere in the Tigre."
Although Lepage and Mercier in their survey of the churches of Tigray dated the construction of this church between 1350 and 1450, David Phillipson notes that the Amba Senneyti area resisted imperial rule until the late thirteenth century, "and it is tempting to see its eventual capitulation to King Amda Tsion early in the fourteenth century as a terminus ante quem for the initial excavation of the Maryam Wkro hypogeum.
Monolithic church
A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. They are one of the most basic forms of monolithic architecture....
in northern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is one of several churches located, in a remote region known as Amba Senneyti outside of the town of Nebelet, which is in the Mehakelegnaw Zone
Mehakelegnaw Zone
Mehakelegnaw is a Zone in the Ethiopian Region of Tigray. Mehakelegnaw is bordered on the east by Misraqawi , on the south by Debubawi , on the west by Mirabawi and on the north by Eritrea...
of the Tigray Region
Tigray Region
Tigray Region is the northernmost of the nine ethnic regions of Ethiopia containing the homeland of the Tigray people. It was formerly known as Region 1...
. It was first mentioned by the Catholic historian Manoel Barradas, whose Tractatus Tres Historico-Geographici was published in 1634. Its first modern description was published by Professor A. Mordini published a description of it in 1939.
The church is locally called wkro ("rock-hewn") to distinguish it from another church also dedicated to the Virgin Mary. (This spelling is used in this article to make it clear that this church is not in or near the town of Wukro
Wukro
Wukro is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi zone of the Tigray region on the Asmara-Addis Ababa highway, it is the administrative center of the district named after the town.- Overview :The rock-hewn churches around Wukro are the town's most distinctive landmarks; in the early...
.
Ruth Plant described the pronaos and interior of Wkro Mariyam as "accurately carved", with three aisles and a depth of three bays, "with the central bay soaring considerably above the level of the ceiling rock of the side aisles." Plant singled out for mention the carved bosses in the center of the arches between the square pillars, and over the arch of the sanctuary "a rope-like carving found at Ghioghios, Maikado and elsewhere in the Tigre."
Although Lepage and Mercier in their survey of the churches of Tigray dated the construction of this church between 1350 and 1450, David Phillipson notes that the Amba Senneyti area resisted imperial rule until the late thirteenth century, "and it is tempting to see its eventual capitulation to King Amda Tsion early in the fourteenth century as a terminus ante quem for the initial excavation of the Maryam Wkro hypogeum.