Angel faces
On the ceiling.
Ludger Heide — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Donald Macauley — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Sailko — CC BY 3.0 · A. Davey from Where I Live Now: Pacific Northwest — CC BY 2.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC BY-SA 3.0
Debre Berhan Selassie, «Trinity and the Mountain of Light», is a stone church in Gondar enclosed by a high stone wall and tall trees. It has a thatched roof and stone-pillared verandas, and you enter the compound through a stone gate tower. The church was founded in the late 17th century, credited by most sources to Emperor Iyasu I, and was rebuilt after lightning struck the first church. Its fame is its wooden ceiling covered with winged angel faces painted between the beams, probably in the early 19th century. It is part of the Fasil Ghebbi UNESCO World Heritage Site in Gondar, listed in 1979. You walk through the quiet compound under the trees, around the stone verandas, then step inside to see the painted ceiling and walls. The ceiling was conserved in restoration campaigns between 1979 and 1982. It is about 2 km in a straight line northeast of central Gondar. Take off your shoes to enter and keep quiet during prayers. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to the Amhara region, and access may not be possible, so check official guidance before making any plans.
On the ceiling.
In stone.
Around the church.
Northeast of central Gondar, Amhara region
Ask the priest first.
About 2 km.
