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Ethiopia, formerly called Abyssinia, is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world. Perched atop Africa’s highest plateau, the country is protected by forbidding deserts and tropical lowlands. Despite its apparent mountainous isolation, Ethiopia has long been a crossroads for Africa, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, and a site of dynamic interaction between people from throughout the world. Addis Ababa (the name means 'new flower') is of fairly recent origin - Menelik II founded the city in 1887 but is an important administrative centre not only for Ethiopia but also for the whole of Africa. Situated in the foothills of the Entoto Mountains and standing 2,400 metres above sea level it is the third highest capital in the world. The city has a population of about four million

A beautiful landmark is the Trinity Cathedral, which was built in 1941 to European design in commemoration of Ethiopia's liberation from the Italian occupation

Holy Trinity Cathedral, known in Amharic as Kidist Selassie, is the highest ranking Orthodox cathedral in Addis Ababa. It was built to commemorate Ethiopia's liberation from Italian occupation and is the second most important place of worship in Ethiopia, after the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum.

The cathedral bears the title 'Menbere Tsebaot', or 'Pure Altar'. The church compound is the burial place for those who fought against the Italian Occupation, or those who accompanied the Emperor into exile from 1936 to 1941. Emperor Haile Selassie I and his consort Empress Menen Asfaw are buried in the north transept of the cathedral. Other members of the Imperial Family are buried in the crypt below the church.

The High Altar of the cathedral is dedicated to 'Agaiste Alem Kidist Selassie' (Sovereigns of the World the Holy Trinity). The other two altars in the Holy of Holies on either side of the High Altar are dedicated to St. John the Baptist and to 'Kidane Meheret' (Our Lady Covenant of Mercy). In the south transept of the cathedral is a recently added chapel of St. Michael, which houses the Tabot or Ark of St. Michael the Archangel, which was returned to Ethiopia in February 2002 after being discovered in Edinburgh. This relic was taken by British forces from the mountain citadel of Magdalla in 1868 during their campaign against Emperor Tewodros II.

Statue of St. Luke - patron saint of physicians and surgeons

Callistemon is a genus of 34 species of shrubs in the family Myrtaceae, all of which are endemic to Australia. The common name, "bottlebrush", perfectly describes this evergreen plant's bright red flower spikes

Bougainvillea

Holy Trinity Cathedral is the official seat of the Orthodox Archdiocese of Addis Ababa. The Patriarchs of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church are enthroned at Holy Trinity Cathedral and all Bishops are consecrated there as well.The late Patriarchs, Abune Tekle Haimanot and Abune Paulos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, are buried in the churchyard, as is the famous British suffragette and anti-fascist activist Sylvia Pankhurst.

Saint Michael

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as rose mallow, Chinese hibiscus, China rose and shoe flower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to East Asia.

Cathedral was established on December 22, 1931, under the auspices of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I.

The building of the Cathedral occupies an area of 1200 square meters and it is 16 meters high. The Cathedral complex also includes monuments housing the remains of those massacred in Addis Ababa by the Italians in 1937 in response to an assassination attempt against the Fascist Viceroy of Italian East Africa. In addition is the monument and tomb of the officials of the imperial government who were executed by the Communist Derg regime.

Photography is allowed both inside and outside of the building, with the exception of one off-limits area outside where police are posted.

The Cathedral complex also includes the old Church of the Holy Trinity, who remains a part of the Cathedral complex and still functions as a church as well. It is now called Bale Wold (Church of the Feast of God the Son) but is more correctly referred to as the Church of the Four Heavenly Creatures (Arbaetu Insesat). This church served as the original Holy Trinity Monastery Church before the building of the Cathedral and dates back to the reign of Emperor Menelik II. Other facilities include a primary and a secondary school, a monastery and the Holy Trinity Theological College and a Museum

The entrance fee also includes admission to a small but impressive museum of ecclesiastical artifacts

College of St George - Windsor Castle

The stall plate of Haile Selassie I, who was made a Knight of the Garter in 1954.

Holy Trinity Cathedral Museum

The tombs of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I and Her Imperial Majesty Empress Menen Asfaw, and other members of the Imperial Family, are inside Holy Trinity Cathedral

The two ornate thrones are those of Emperor Haile Selassie I on the right and that of his wife, the Empress Menen Asfaw on the left, each made of white ebony, ivory and marble

Throne of the Empress

Inside, there are some grand murals, the most notable being Afewerk Tekle’s depiction of the Holy Trinity, with Matthew (man), Mark (lion), Luke (cow) and John (dove) peering through the clouds

Holy Trinity Cathedral Main Dome

Born in Ethiopia in 1892, Haile Selassie was crowned emperor in 1930 but exiled during World War II after leading the resistance to the Italian invasion. He was reinstated in 1941 and sought to modernize the country over the next few decades through social, economic and educational reforms. He ruled until 1974, when famine, unemployment and political opposition forced him from office.

Mural depicting Haile Selassie speaking to the League of Nations in Geneva

The Emperor Haile Selassie raises the Ethipian flag. (The mural scenes on the wall are as much part of religion as they are documents of Ethiopian history)

Calvary

The Four Evangelists

Across the centuries the Knights of the Garter have included in their number many intriguing characters and historically influential figures; however, Haile Selassie I, who was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 at the Cathedral of St George in Addis Ababa, is perhaps the only Knight of the Garter to have become the central focus for a new religious movement, being worshipped as God incarnate by the Rastafari movement

massive Aksumite-style granite tombs

Empress Menen Queen of Queens of Judah, Beloved Wife of Emperor Haile Selassie I King of Kings and Lord of Lords of Ethiopia (In Christian tradition, the Lion of Judah represents the triumphant Jesus)

By the early 1970s famine, ever-worsening unemployment and increasing frustration with the government's inability to respond to the country's problems began to undermine Haile Selassie's rule.In February 1974 mutinies broke out in the army over low pay, while a secessionist guerrilla war in Eritrea furthered his problems. Haile Selassie was eventually ousted from power in a coup and kept under house arrest in his palace until his death in 1975.Reports initially circulated claiming that he had died of natural causes, but later evidence revealed that he had probably been strangled to death on the orders of the new government.

In 1992 Haile Selassie's remains were discovered, buried under a toilet in the Imperial Palace. In November 2000 the late emperor received a proper burial when his body was laid to rest in Addis Ababa's Trinity Cathedral.

There are also some brilliant stained-glass windows

King Solomon and Queen of Sheba

Noah and the Arc

Baptism of Jesus

Tekle Haymanot or Takla Haymanot "Plant of Faith"; known in the Coptic Church as Saint Takla

Baptism of JesusDetail

Office of the Ethiopian Patriarch, Addis Ababa. Ethiopian patriarchs hold the title of Abune, which means “father” in Amharic.

Aboune Petros or Abuna Petros (1892-1936) was an Ethiopian bishop and martyr, executed on 29 July 1936 by the Italian occupation forces in Ethiopia for publicly condemning colonialism, invasion and massacre. Nowadays, Aboune Petros remains a famous Ethiopian history. A memorial statue is erected in 1946 near St. George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa and the author Tsegaye Gebre-Medhin wrote a play on his last days.

He now also is named as Saint Abune Petros by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and a church is built by his name.

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Ethiopian orthodox church song