| Axum / St. Mary of Zion. In 1635, St. Mary of Zion was reconstructed by Emperor
Fasilidas on the ruins of the church that had been destroyed by the Muslims, and this is the church that stands today. In the
mid-1500s, the forces of Ahmed Gragn "the Left Handed" had swept across the Horn of Africa from Harar in the east, for a time
threatening the extinction of Ethiopian Christendom.
The destruction and rebuilding of the church has become an important part of its meaning for Ethiopians. Surrounded by Islamic
countries, overrun several times, and brought to the brink of extinction, Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity regards itself as a
bastion against Islam.
St. Mary of Zion's rise from the ashes symbolizes the struggles and triumphs of not only the church, but the nation of
Ethiopia. The emperors of Ethiopia were all crowned here. Until the 1930s, criminals could receive sanctuary in the church
precincts by ringing the bell on the porch.
Naturally, women are not allowed in this church either.
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