GENET MARIAM CHURCH

Founded, according to legend, by King Yekouno Amlak, restorer of the Solomonic dynasty in 1270, to mark his power, the monument is a fine example of a monolithic church. Carved out of pink tufa, the 20 m x 16 m x 10 m high edifice is surrounded by twenty-four pillars forming a gallery that symbolizes the elders of the Apocalypse, while the four inner pillars symbolize the evangelists.

The church is adorned with numerous frescoes. One, in the atrium, depicts the parable of the foresighted virgins who saved their oil for the coming of Christ and the others who did not; below, St. George and the temptation of Adam and Eve by the serpent. Turning along the nave to the left, we see the wedding at Cana, the martyrs, the Holy Trinity, the prophets, Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and the entry into Jerusalem. In the background on the right, the flight into Egypt guided by Gabriel, Saint Mercurios killing Galianos, the king who persecuted the Christians, as well as other iconography and a bestiary of more uncertain decipherability. On the pillars, the prophet Daniel, Dawit and his musical instrument, and the meeting of Yekouno Amlak and Takla Haymanot, the monk who played an essential role in restoring Solomon's lineage before becoming a venerated saint.

To the left of the holy of holies, a now-filled tunnel is said to contain emnet, a miraculous powder used to dispel evil spirits, which the faithful sprinkle over their faces.