The Lalibela Cross is a large, elaborately decorated

processional cross A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to ...

variation of the Ethiopian-Eritrean cross, considered one of

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

n most precious religious and historical heirlooms. It is held by the Bet Medhane Alem, the House of the Redeemer of the World, a 12th-century rock-cut church in

Lalibela Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site ...

. A priest may rub believers with the cross to bless them or heal them. The style of the cross was common in its time and those of this style are often simply referred to today as "Lalibela crosses". The cross is thought to date to the 12th century. It is around long and weighs around . It is made from one piece of metal, either

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, or

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and gold. The central cross has an elongated descending arm and flared ends surrounded by an elaborately ornamented encircling band. Like many Ethiopian processional crosses, the bottom of the cross is supported by "Adam's arms", a motif that realistically or abstractly portrays the arms of Adam.W. Korabiewicz. 1973 "The Ethiopian Cross" Holy Trinity Cathedral: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia On processional crosses they are draped with brightly colored pieces of cloth for festive occasions. The cross was stolen in March 1997, but located in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in 1999, when a dealer in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

sold it to a Belgian collector for US$25,000. After the collector's money was returned and it was agreed that no further legal action would be taken, the cross was returned to Ethiopia in 2001.

References

"A holy cross and the necessity for international conventions"
Jos van Beurden, Illicit Antiquities Research Centre, in Culture Without Context, Issue 9, Autumn 2001

New York Times, 2 August 2001 {{Authority control Ethiopian culture Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Gold objects Processional crosses Ethiopian art 12th-century works