No, there wasn’t any mention of the tabots, that I can recall but then there was so much to take in, that maybe I am just mis-remembering! However, as you will know, these are the replicas of the Ark of the Covenant that all or nearly all Ethiopian Orthodox Churches have. The churches are not consecrated – their tabot is, as it is the very holy object for them.

When in Axum, we visited the Church of St Mary of Zion, where there is a small chapel said to house the actual Ark of the Covenant, brought from Israel by the son of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Of course, no-one is allowed to see it, as it is much too holy, and only one priest looks after it, and visits it only once per year. The tabot in each church is in the Holy of Holies, which only priests visit (once per year also, I think), not normal everyday Christians like us.

Certainly the history of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is fascinating.