This church in Addis Ababa is famous for holding the tombs of Haile Selassie and his wife. He laid the cornerstone for this cathedral and was reburied here in 2000, twenty five years after he died.
Not being up on my Ethiopian history (see previous post), I had to find out more about how this leader shaped Ethiopia for the the forty four years he ruled it.
Ras Tefari was crowned under the name Haile Selassie ("Power of the Trinity") in 1930. By most accounts, he was not the best ruler. Verylittle in the way of reforms, and as people began protesting in the sixties, he responded with more repressive measures, until he was thrown out by the military and imprisoned. He was eventually smothered to death with a pillow by his successor in August 1975 and buried by his murderers next to a latrine outside the palace. He was exhumed and stored for a few years before being entombed in the cathedral.
One guide book said that the reburial ceremony was attend by a large international Rastafarian contingent. Rita Marley (Bob's widow) was there and said: "Rasta people will be all loving his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie. There is no end to his reign." Our guide said that Bob Marley had wanted to be buried in Ethiopia, but that wish was not honored.
After Selassie was killed, the country was taken over by the Derg, a socialist-inspired military party. Of course, they proved to be just as terrible and deadly as the Emperor. Eventually, with the collapse of European socialism in the the 1990's, the Derg were ousted.
Since then, Ethiopia has been a democracy, but with lots of bumps along the way, Eritrea being the most significant.
This cathedral was pretty spectacular, with a lot of stained glass depicting scenes from the Bible. There was a ceremony taking place while we were there, with incense and chanting. As people entered the church, they take off their shoes, bow at the door, and then kneel in front of it before going through the doors.
Not being up on my Ethiopian history (see previous post), I had to find out more about how this leader shaped Ethiopia for the the forty four years he ruled it.
Ras Tefari was crowned under the name Haile Selassie ("Power of the Trinity") in 1930. By most accounts, he was not the best ruler. Verylittle in the way of reforms, and as people began protesting in the sixties, he responded with more repressive measures, until he was thrown out by the military and imprisoned. He was eventually smothered to death with a pillow by his successor in August 1975 and buried by his murderers next to a latrine outside the palace. He was exhumed and stored for a few years before being entombed in the cathedral.
One guide book said that the reburial ceremony was attend by a large international Rastafarian contingent. Rita Marley (Bob's widow) was there and said: "Rasta people will be all loving his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie. There is no end to his reign." Our guide said that Bob Marley had wanted to be buried in Ethiopia, but that wish was not honored.
After Selassie was killed, the country was taken over by the Derg, a socialist-inspired military party. Of course, they proved to be just as terrible and deadly as the Emperor. Eventually, with the collapse of European socialism in the the 1990's, the Derg were ousted.
Since then, Ethiopia has been a democracy, but with lots of bumps along the way, Eritrea being the most significant.
This cathedral was pretty spectacular, with a lot of stained glass depicting scenes from the Bible. There was a ceremony taking place while we were there, with incense and chanting. As people entered the church, they take off their shoes, bow at the door, and then kneel in front of it before going through the doors.
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