Church of Abba Afse, Yeha

Original catalogue wording is retained below, including records brought together as one work.

• Church of Abba Afse, Yeha

  The church of Abba Afse at Yeha, beside the Great Temple, whose walls reuse dressed blocks and carved ibex friezes from the pre-Aksumite buildings of the site; founded by tradition by one of the Nine Saints.

• Detail, Church of Abba Afse, Yeha, Ethiopia

  Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia.

• Church With Landscape, Yeha, Ethiopia

  Church of Abba Afse, Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia.

• Ibex Relief, Church of Abba Afse, Yeha, Ethiopia

  This is one of several relief carvings of ibexes set into the exterior walls of the Church of Abba Afse in Yeha, northern Ethiopia. Sources differ both as to the age of the church and of the ibex reliefs. It seems likely the present church is not the original structure, which was built perhaps as early as the 6th century of the common era. Some maintain the current church dates to the "middle ages," while others contend today's church was built in the 1950s. Hmm. Similarly, some believe the ibex reliefs were part of the first Ethiopian Orthodox church built on this site, while others think the ibex reliefs are far more ancient, dating to the D'mt Kingdom of the 8th and 7th centuries before the common era. I'm inclined to believe the ibex reliefs are ancient, perhaps contemporary with the Temple of the Moon, which dates to the D'mt Kingdom. They look like other sculpture of the era and, m

• Entrance To The Church Precincts, Yeha, Ethiopia

  The Church of Abba Afse is visible through one of the portals in the substantial wall that surrounds the church. I was intrigued by the combination of new and old building techniques: the support structures appear to be made of poured reinforced concrete, while the spaces between the supports are filled with beautifully cut blocks of native stone.

• Yeha, chiesa di abuna aftse, 01

  Yeha, Ethiopia

• Yeha, chiesa di abuna aftse, cimiero

  Yeha, Ethiopia

• Yeha, chiesa di abuna aftse, finestra

  Yeha, Ethiopia

• Yeha, chiesa di abuna aftse, rilievi con stambecchi sacri provenienti dal portico del tempio pre-axumita, VIII-V secolo ac. ca. 00

  Yeha, chiesa di abuna aftse, rilievi con stambecchi sacri provenienti dal portico del tempio pre-axumita, VIII-V secolo ac. ca. 00. Catalogued on Wikimedia Commons under Yeha. The file description records: Yeha, Ethiopia Photograph credited to Sailko.

• A church Near to Yeha

  A church near Yeha, Ethiopia.

• The Church of Abba Afse, Yeha, Tigray Region, Ethiopia

  According to the Footprint East Africa Handbook 2002: The Travel Guide (7th Edition) by Michael Hodd, the Church of Abba Afse in Yeha was "named after one of the Nine Saints of the Eastern Roman Empire who came to Ethiopia from Syria in the sixth century to teach the gospel." Sources differ on the church's age. A publication on the Web site of the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, states "Near the ancient temple ruin is the present-day Orthodox church of Abba Afse, named after one of the Nine Saints. It has been replaced as recently as about 1951 , so the church photographed by David Buxton and published in 1949 in 'Travels in Ethiopia' is not the same one." (Emphasis added.) www.nai.uu.se/library/resources/dossiers/local_history_of.. . On the other hand, the Footprint East Africa Handbook continues: "These monks founded numerous monasteries and churches in many parts of Tigray

• The Church of Abba Afse, Yeha, Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

  According to the Footprint East Africa Handbook 2002: The Travel Guide (7th Edition) by Michael Hodd, the Church of Abba Afse in Yeha was "named after one of the Nine Saints of the Eastern Roman Empire who came to Ethiopia from Syria in the sixth century to teach the gospel." Sources differ on the church's age. A publication on the Web site of the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, states "Near the ancient temple ruin is the present-day Orthodox church of Abba Afse, named after one of the Nine Saints. It has been replaced as recently as about 1951, so the church photographed by David Buxton and published in 1949 in 'Travels in Ethiopia' is not the same one." www.nai.uu.se/library/resources/dossiers/local_history_of... On the other hand, the Footprint East Africa Handbook continues: "These monks founded numerous monasteries and churches in many parts of Tigray. The present rectan

• Yeha church compound / Church of Abba Afse

  Yeha, carved stone frieze of stylised ibex, 2006. Originally part of the Great Temple, it is now built into the west wall of the modern church.