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Qorqor Maryam
In the northern part of the Ethiopian province of Tigray lies the G盲r士alta region. Thanks to its characteristic easily carved sandstone, this region is home to numerous rock-hewn churches. One of these is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary known as Qorqor Maryam.
According to tradition, its murals were executed in the thirteenth century by the saint Abba Dan菨示el of D盲br盲 Maryam, making them among the earliest in the region. This dating seems to be corroborated by art historical analysis and an inscription in the church which reveals that Dan菨示el was responsible for its painting and was the intellectual driving force behind its unique and complex iconography. The role of Ethiopian holy men in making and painting their churches is a distinctive feature of monastic foundations at this time.
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Qorqor Dan菨示el
Located higher up on the Qorqor mountain, a few hundred meters from the church of Qorqor Maryam, one finds a small oratory dedicated to the same Abba Dan菨示el that created Dabra Maryam. Dan菨示el was the spiritual father of Ewos峁璦tewos, a famous head of a dissident monastic movement in Ethiopia in the first half of the fourteenth century.
Comparison between the painting in the two Qorqor sites shows technical divergence. Both sets of painting share a palette of red and yellow iron oxide, and green earth. But the pigments used in Maryam suggest total reliance on locally sourced materials: the dullness of the green earth pigment is probably due to its conspicuously low iron content, which may indicate its sourcing from mudrock found at the base of the Qorqor massif. In Dan菨示el the pigments are of superior quality and must have been acquired from more distant locations.
Y菨m示ata Gu岣�
Another church in the G盲r士alta region is Y菨m示ata Gu岣�, which is spectacularly located high above the arid plain. The church can only be reached by climbing the sandstone rock face. Possibly of a later date than the churches on the Qorqor mountain, this church is dedicated to Saint Y菨m示atta, one of the Nine Saints: these were foreign monks who, according to tradition, came from the Mediterranean region in the fifth or sixth century and contributed to the spread of Christianity in the Aksumite Empire.
In the image shown here, Saint Y菨m示atta is on horseback, while the other Nine Saints appear on the carved dome of the ceiling. Among them are Abba Ar盲gawi, who is considered as the founder of the mountain monastery of D盲br盲 Dammo (See Fig. 1.2) which he reputedly reached by holding onto a snake. Abba G盲rima, founder of the homonymous monastery that holds two precious late antique illuminated manuscripts, is also recognizable among these holy men.
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