Jerusalem - Abyssinian Church

From a side gate of the Russian Compound in Jerusalem a street runs northwest into Prophets Street (Rehov HaNevi'im), beyond which is the Mea Shearim quarter. Turning left into Prophets Street, we take the first street on the right, Abyssinian Street (Rehov HaHabbashim), named after the Abyssinian Monastery founded and enlarged by Emperors John (1872-89) and Menelik (1889-1913). The church of the monastery is a round building with a green dome. The reliefs of lions above the doorway recall the style of Lion of Judah borne by the Abyssinian dynasty which traced its origins back to the Queen of Sheba; it was believed that the Queen of Sheba was also Queen of Abyssinia and that when she visited Solomon in Jerusalem he granted her a coat of arms with the lion of Judah. The church contains numbers of Abyssinian icons.