Processional cross
National Museum of African Art

Processional cross

Ethiopian Orthodox · 14th-15th century

Copper alloy
National Museum of African Art
CC0 — Public Domain
National Museum of African Art

Christianity has a long history in Ethiopia, dating from its introduction in Aksum under the reign of King Azana in about A.D. 330. Its spread among the peoples of the highlands, and the arrival of nine monks from Syria toward the end of the fifth century, is said to have introduced monasticism to Ethiopia and to have contributed strongly to the production and use of liturgical objects.

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