Gonder, Ethiopia - Africa's Camelot
20 April, Wednesday Gonder
We walk to the castles, for which Gonder is famous – from there
the name – Africa’s Camelot.
Emperor Fasiladas successfully established Gondor as the Ethiopian capital in
1636. It became a major merchant/trade city boasting magnificent palaces,
beautiful gardens and extensive plantations. Cut from roughly hewn stone, the
regal castles with surrounding stone walls were declared a UNESCO World
Heritage site in 1979. Emperor Fasiladas, a religious and devoted man, claimed
to be linked to the Solomonic dynasty – therefore the reason for the recessed
star of David that can be seen above several of the
doorways.
From the castles we walk to the Debre Berhan Selassie Church–
Trinity at the Mount of Light which is apparently one of Ethiopias most
remarkable churches. It is surrounded by a stone wall and we arrive during an
Orthodox Church Service. Small groups of women, with white linen robes draped
around their shoulders and head, sit on the ground in the garden of the small
round church building. Most men, also cloaked in white are gathered in and
around the church, but on the opposite side of where the women are.
The church and enclosure are considered holy ground and we remove
our shoes when we enter. The guys walk up to the church and I sit down against
the wall. During the service women will randomly get up and perform a praying
ritual: they go down on their knees, touch the ground with their forehead and
then with their lips, get up and throw both their arms backwards over their
shoulders, then cross their arms across the chest, and go down on their knees
again. They perform this movement repeatedly and then suddenly sit down. One
older woman repeated the sequence 40x before she sat
down.
The little church is famous for its beautifully
painted wall frescoes illustrating different scenes from the Bible and everyday
life. Most striking though are the painted beamed ceiling which is covered with
the faces of 104 Ethiopian cherubs: each one with a different facial
expression! Finally, when I feel
comfortable and after one of the church deacons told the boys that I am welcome
to come into the church, I go into the dimly lit building. I sit down again to
carefully study the paintings and am fascinated by the little cherubs – some are
looking to the left, others to the right, others pout their mouths, some carry
just the beginning of a smile…I have the overwhelming desire to draw them and I
think I will, once we are home and I have time.
I am surprised to see that there are women and young girls in the
front of the church: many of them perform the praying ritual; others lie on
their sides – maybe resting in the presence of the Lord is what comes to mind. I
think the preaching is over; a young boy with a colored robe walks around the
church ringing a bell. When he comes back everyone takes out their Bibles and
quietly reads and recites passages from it. Behind me, against the wall, a young
man, in a whispered voice, explains the meaning of the frescoes to a wide-eyed
little boy. I love the peaceful, reverent atmosphere that dwells in this unique,
cloaked in history, little church and leave
reluctantly.
The rest of the day is spent planning and doing some
administration. We plan to leave for the Simien Mountain National Park
tomorrow.
Trinity at the Mount of Light which is apparently one of Ethiopias most
remarkable churches. It is surrounded by a stone wall and we arrive during an
Orthodox Church Service. Small groups of women, with white linen robes draped
around their shoulders and head, sit on the ground in the garden of the small
round church building. Most men, also cloaked in white are gathered in and
around the church, but on the opposite side of where the women are.
The church and enclosure are considered holy ground and we remove
our shoes when we enter. The guys walk up to the church and I sit down against
the wall. During the service women will randomly get up and perform a praying
ritual: they go down on their knees, touch the ground with their forehead and
then with their lips, get up and throw both their arms backwards over their
shoulders, then cross their arms across the chest, and go down on their knees
again. They perform this movement repeatedly and then suddenly sit down. One
older woman repeated the sequence 40x before she sat
down.
The little church is famous for its beautifully
painted wall frescoes illustrating different scenes from the Bible and everyday
life. Most striking though are the painted beamed ceiling which is covered with
the faces of 104 Ethiopian cherubs: each one with a different facial
expression! Finally, when I feel
comfortable and after one of the church deacons told the boys that I am welcome
to come into the church, I go into the dimly lit building. I sit down again to
carefully study the paintings and am fascinated by the little cherubs – some are
looking to the left, others to the right, others pout their mouths, some carry
just the beginning of a smile…I have the overwhelming desire to draw them and I
think I will, once we are home and I have time.
I am surprised to see that there are women and young girls in the
front of the church: many of them perform the praying ritual; others lie on
their sides – maybe resting in the presence of the Lord is what comes to mind. I
think the preaching is over; a young boy with a colored robe walks around the
church ringing a bell. When he comes back everyone takes out their Bibles and
quietly reads and recites passages from it. Behind me, against the wall, a young
man, in a whispered voice, explains the meaning of the frescoes to a wide-eyed
little boy. I love the peaceful, reverent atmosphere that dwells in this unique,
cloaked in history, little church and leave
reluctantly.
The rest of the day is spent planning and doing some
administration. We plan to leave for the Simien Mountain National Park
tomorrow.
