Religious, Spiritual sights in Gonder
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Debre Berhan Selassie
Despite the walls of Debre Berhan Selassie hosting the most vibrant ecclesiastical artwork in the nation, it's the ceiling that captures the most visitors' imagination. Think of Mona Lisa's mysterious smile and multiply it 104 times over! Yes, each of the 104 winged Ethiopian cherubs dotting the beamed ceiling seem to have slightly different, but equally quizzical expressions.
Full of all the colour, life, wit and humanity of Ethiopian art at its best, the walls provide a compendium of Ethiopian saints, martyrs and lore. The devilish Bosch-like depiction of Hell has to be our favourite. A close second is the Prophet Mohammed atop a camel being led by a devil. Although mos…
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Wolleka
Around 6km north of Gonder is the little village of Wolleka, once the home of a thriving population of Falashas or Ethiopian Jews. Before Christianity arrived, Judaism was the dominant religion of most of northwestern Ethiopia.
After the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, Falashas had their land confiscated for refusing to convert. To survive, many became skilled craftsmen. Recent research suggests Falashas may have provided the labour for the castle's construction and decoration.
From 1985 to 1991 many Falashas were airlifted to Israel, and today only a handful remain. Sadly, the pottery for which they were once famous has degenerated into clumsy, half-hearte…
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