Washa Mikael Rock Hewn Church

Washa mikael rock hewn church is one of the oldest church around Addis Ababa. It was found in the 4th century.

This is a religious place when it is important to be respectful.

Its historic location on the outskirts of addis ababa

Historical place on the outskirts of addis abeba yeka mountain

This monolithic church is more than 1,600 years old. It was curved entirely out of a single sedimentary rock by two Ethiopian kings whose names were Ezana and Sayzana whom latter called ABRAHA and ATSBAHA about 320 A.D (E.C). The name of the church is Washa Michael. It is excavated from one huge solid rock. When one takes a bird’s eye view, it is the Ethiopic alphabet “U” read as “Ha” which comes into sight. The religious symbolic meaning of “U” is “Halewotu le Ab emkdme alem” which means “Before anything exists God father was there”. The church stopped giving service in 1878 (E.C) when part of the wall had a minor collapse. After then, the Ark was moved down to the present Yeka St. Michael Church in Megenagna area of Addis Ababa. Elders speak about it that it was ruined during the Ethio-Italian war from 1928 – 1933 (E.C) after it had been bombarded by the Italian facists. There is a map on the gate which clearly shows how the church used to look like before it was destroyed. The 12th Century king of Roha, King Lalibela, is said to have visited Washa Michael to what he can do about it to restore it into service on his way to Adadi Mariam to build a rock-hewn church for St. Marry, which is 68km south west of Addis Ababa. Other than this, Abraha and Atsbaha also built so many rock-hewn churches, preached the bible, and made Christianity an official state religion throughout the country from Tigrai, Hamassien, Seraye to Jimma Enarya. As it has been written in their Chronicle, Sayzana (Atsbaha) built his palace in the south at the mountain of Yerar near to the town of Debre Zeit and administered the Southern Kingdom. Reaching to the pick of spiritual wisedom and using the heavenly chariots of Enoch and Elijah, they moved from place to place and accomplished their life tasks.