Debre Damo (), also spelled Debre Dammo, Dabra Dāmmo or Däbrä Dammo), is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or

amba Amba or AMBA may refer to: Title * Amba Hor, alternative name for Abhor and Mehraela, Christian martyrs * Amba Sada, also known as Psote, Christian bishop and martyr in Upper Egypt Given name * Amba, the traditional first name given to the first ...

, and a 6th-century

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

Tigray Region The Tigray Region, officially the Tigray National Regional State, is the northernmost regional state in Ethiopia. The Tigray Region is the homeland of the Tigrayan, Irob, and Kunama people. Its capital and largest city is Mekelle. Tigray is ...

of Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about in dimension. It sits at an elevation of above sea level. It is north of Bizet, and north-west of Adigrat, in the

Mehakelegnaw Zone The Central Zone () is a zone in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Towns and cities in the Central Zone include Axum and Adwa, as well as the historically significant village of Yeha and the town of Tembien Abiyi Adi. The Central Zone is bordered o ...

of the

, close to the border with

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

. The mountain hosted a monastery, accessible only by rope up a sheer

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

, high, is known for its collection of manuscripts and for having the earliest existing church building in Ethiopia that is still in its original style, and only men can visit it. Tradition claims that the monastery was founded in the 6th century by

Abuna Aregawi Abuna Aregawi (also called Za-Mika'el Aragawi) was a sixth-century Syrian monk and canonized by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, as well as by the Ethiopian Catholic Church, as well as the Eritrean Orthodox Church. He is one of the Nine ...

. Part of the monastery was destroyed during the Tigray War, prior to 14 February 2021.

Monastery

The monastery received its first archeological examination by E. Litton, who led a German expedition to northern Ethiopia in the early 20th century. By the time that David Buxton saw the ancient church in the mid-1940s, he found it "on the point of collapse". A few years later, an English architect, DH Matthews, assisted in the restoration of the building, which included the rebuilding of one of its wood and stone walls (a characteristic style of

Aksumite architecture The architecture of Ethiopia varies greatly from region to region. Over the years, it has incorporated various National Register of Historic Places architectural style categories, architectural styles and techniques. Dʿmt (c. 800-400 BC) The bes ...

). Thomas Pakenham, who visited the church in 1955, records a tradition that Debre Damo had also once been a royal prison for heirs to the

Emperor of Ethiopia The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...

, like the better-known Wehni and Amba Geshen.Thomas Pakenham, ''The Mountains of Rasselas'' (New York: Reynal & Co., 1959), pp. 79-86 The exterior walls of the church were built of alternating courses of limestone blocks and wood, "fitted with the projecting stumps that Ethiopians call 'monkey heads'". Once inside, Pakenham was in awe of what he saw:

Destruction

On 14 and 15 February 2021 during the Tigray War,

Europe External Programme with Africa The Europe External Programme with Africa and Europe External Policy Advisors, both called EEPA, are two closely associated Belgian-based non-governmental organizations that aim to encourage the European Union's involvement in human rights in ge ...

(EEPA) reported that the monastery had been looted and partly destroyed by the Eritrean Defence Forces. The monastery was first bombed then six EDF soldiers climbed to the plateau of the monastery, killed one monk and looted for manuscripts and treasures. Twelve buildings were described as "completely destroyed". File:ET Tigray asv2018-01 img01 Debre Damo surroundings.jpg, Debre Damo amba File:ET Tigray asv2018-01 img05 Debre Damo surroundings.jpg, The way up to the monastery File:ET Tigray asv2018-01 img12 Debre Damo Monastery.jpg, The main church of Debre Damo File:ET Tigray asv2018-01 img18 Debre Damo Monastery.jpg, Interior of the main church File:ET Tigray asv2018-01 img27 Debre Damo Monastery.jpg, Debre Damo Monastery, seen from a different angle. File:ET Tigray asv2018-01 img25 Debre Damo Monastery.jpg, Bell tower

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title= Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 84 – 15 February 2021 , website=

, date =2021-02-14 , url = https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-84-15-February-2021.pdf , access-date = 2021-02-14 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210214230149/https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-84-15-February-2021.pdf , archive-date=2021-02-14 , url-status=live {{cite web , title= Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 85 – 16 February 2021 , website=

, date =2021-02-16 , url = https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-85-16-February-2021.pdf , access-date = 2021-02-16 , archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210216001905/https://www.eepa.be//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Situation-Report-EEPA-Horn-No.-85-16-February-2021.pdf , archive-date=2021-02-16 , url-status=live

External links

Debre Damo Monastery
History of Ethiopia Christian monasteries established in the 6th century Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo monasteries Monolithic churches in Ethiopia Adigrat 6th-century churches Cliff dwellings