Round Church (Ethiopia)
The round church in Ethiopia has prevailed since the 16th century and is today the characteristic form of church construction. On the outside, these churches look like large tukuls (round houses), inside they are usually divided into three areas: The Kene Mahalet , the Mäkdas and the Kedus Kedusan .
Design of the interior
The Kene Mahalet is a semi-open exterior tour separated from the two interior sections by a wall. It can be entered by anyone, the floor is covered with carpets and in the entrance area there are chairs for the elderly and the children, because the Ethiopian Orthodox service is celebrated standing. This is where the depteras (church singers) sing while the congregation gathers in front of the church for an outdoor service. Only the priests are allowed to enter the second area through doors, the Mäkdas (sanctuary). This is where the large tubular drums ( kebero ) and sistras for worship are kept. The floor is also covered with carpets. The Kedus Kedusan is the Holy of Holies and forms the center. It is rectangular and contains the altar and the tabot , a kind of ark made of wood. All walls are painted with ornaments and images of saints.
The conical roof is usually crowned at its point above the central post by a cross with seven ostrich eggs , which have a magical meaning.
Well-known round churches
- Enda Medhane Alem (German 'Church of the Savior of the World') in Adwa
- Enda Selassie also in Adwa
literature
- La Verle Berry, Richard Smith: Churches and Monasteries of Lake Tana, Ethiopia, 1972. In: Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell'Istituto italiano per l'Africae l'Oriente, Anno 34, no. 1/2. March-June 1979, pp. 1-34.
- Friedrich Heyer : The Church of Ethiopia. An inventory (= Theological Library Töpelmann. Volume 22). De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1971, ISBN 3-11-001850-0 , pp. 27-34.
- Sylvia Pankhurst : Ethiopia. A cultural history. Lalibela House, Essex 1955, pp. 164-176.