Nda Mariam

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Entrance gate to the cathedral grounds. In the background the towers of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and the central mosque

Nda Mariam (also: Enda Mariam , Tigrinya እንዳ ማርያም ) is the Eritrean Orthodox cathedral of Asmara .

Detail of an adjoining building of the Nda Mariam Cathedral

Geographical location

West facade
Sound stones in front of the west side of the cathedral

It is on the top of a hill on the northeastern edge of downtown Asmara. In front of it is a wide, sloping courtyard, which is framed by church buildings, which also include a primary school.

prehistory

The church is Maria consecrated and has a long rich history. The legend has it already v to 400th The Jewish ark of the covenant was brought here from Jerusalem . The tradition is more likely that there was a Sabaean temple on this site in pre-Christian times and that the first Christian church was built here in the 7th century.

building

The current church building was built between 1917 and 1920 according to plans by the Italian engineer O. Cavagnari on a square floor plan in the classic modern style. In 1938 expansion and expansion work took place.

The complex takes up the Western European type of double tower facade , but divides it into three components: The middle is the cubic , massive block of the nave , which is flanked by two free-standing church towers . At the top of the towers are pavilions, which are modeled on classic African round huts, tukuls . Between the two towers, a staircase leads to a platform on which the nave stands, into which two doors lead. The external appearance of the ship and towers is characterized by alternating layers of broken stone and brick . Aksumite architectural elements are said to have been included. On the west facade, above the entrance, seven tall-format monumental mosaics depicting religious scenes were added in 1938 . There are seven Aksumite crosses above it.

Furnishing

The interior of the cathedral is frescoed . They date from 1939 and show scenes from the Old Testament and scenes from the life of Mary.

In the forecourt of the cathedral there are sound stones, which are said to be several hundred years old and were previously used as bells , hung in a metal frame . Today, however, the cathedral is equipped with metal bells that are hung in the southern tower.

literature

  • Jean-Bernard Carillet: Ethiopia & Eritrea . 2009, p. 322f.
  • Leonardo Oriolo: Asmara Style . Asmara 1998, p. 143.

Web links

Commons : Nda Mariam  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 15 ° 20 ′ 23.3 "  N , 38 ° 56 ′ 39"  E