Istifanos Monastery
Istifanos Monastery | |
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Hayq, South Wollo, Ethiopia | |
Geographic coordinates | 11°20′19″N 39°41′51″E / 11.3387°N 39.6976°E |
Istifanos Monastery (or St Stephen Monastery) is a
History
The monastery is responsible for producing five people, known as "Lights" (or important sources of knowledge and Christian salvation) of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. One of these Lights was Saint Tekle Haymanot, who was educated in this monastery, and helped to convert Shewa and other southern provinces by ministering and building churches.
Istifanos Monastery was looted by Imam
Notable possessions
Currently the monastery houses a number of ancient relics, which include a manuscript copy of the
Another prized relict is an icon of the Christ child sitting on his mother's knees, known as "The One Who Listens", which the monks believe is miraculous. Created in the 15th century, the icon was cleaned and repaired by a British charity, The Ethiopian Heritage Fund in 2010, and subsequently was housed in a special museum as the monastery.[4]
References
- ^ Taddesse Tamrat, Church and State in Ethiopia (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 36.
- ^ Taddesse Tamrat, pp. 66-7.
- Richard K.P. Pankhurst(Addis Ababa: Oxford University Press), pp. 63-4.
- ^ "Ethiopian News" Archived 2011-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, Monthly newsletter of the Ethiopian embassy in London (December 2010), p. 8 (accessed 12 April 2011)
Further reading
- Taddesse Tamrat, "The Abbots of Däbrä-Hayq 1248-1535", Journal of Ethiopian Studies, 8 (January 1970), pp. 87-117