Tuesday 18 March 2014

What a Find! - An Abyssinian Cross!

Peter was exploring the Maelor Way and visited the church of St Mary the Virgin at Overton-on-Dee. To his surprise he came across an Abyssinian Cross, one of only 5 or 6 to ever reach the UK. Christianity reached the Horn of Africa far earlier than it did Northern Europe. There is evidence that Christianity thrived in what is now Ethiopia during the 1st Century and took on the appearance of the Orthodox Church. They developed elaborate crosses made from brass, often with lattice work with geometric patterns representing everlasting life.

This is the inscribed head of what is a processional cross.

This is the inscription in Indian Script.

This cross was donated to the Bishop of Madras. Many, many others seem to have been "rescued" by Queen Victoria's army during the Sudanese Wars.

The cross can be found near the pulpit of the church in Overton.

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