St. Raguel and Elias

We visited St. Raguel and Elias Historical Churches that are situated on top of the Entoto Mountain Range. We first walked into the large, round, and "younger" of the two churches that has white arched architecture and stands at least 25 metres high. We were asked to remove our shoes prior to entering. This church was built by Emperor Menelik II and is around 150 years old. Inside the church are painting from ceiling to floor hand painted by 1 man. He made his own paint from flowers, and he painted for 3 years until it was completed. Very large intricate curtains covered the paintings to protect them. Our guide would pull them back and talk about each of the painting. Each one described  different stories in the Bible. 

The shape of Orthodox churches in Ethiopia is round. Just inside, is a corridor that runs all the way around the structure. This inner chamber is divided into three parts, one for the Father, one for the Son and one for the Holy Spirit. In the center of the building is the "Holy of Holies," where only the priests are allowed. Candles are burnt while the priests are praying, and these prayers can be anywhere from two to six hours. 

After experiencing the beauty and artistic talent of this church, we walked a short distance across the yard to the ancient rock hewn church. It is around 700 years old. The rock hewn church itself is more than just a cave where worship took place. We could see chisel marks on the church’s walls and ceilings, the rooms of the church have a circular floor plan sort of like a flower, and the ceilings were black from the years of candle burning. There were a few rooms that made up the entire church, and one was used for preparing communion. Outside support structures have been built over the years to help sustain the inside cave. We also saw a few burial places of ancient priests of the church.  It was an indescribable feeling to stand in a place that has so much history, and has had so many brothers and sisters in Christ worship as we do today. 

Fascinating history + awesome adventures + a wonderful team!

Only because of our Great God!