Debre Sina (Eritrea)

Debra Sina is a monastery in the highlands of Eritrea near Keren in the Anseba Region. It was founded in the 4th century, which makes it the oldest monastery in Eritrea and one of the oldest in Africa. It was the site of the first Holy Communion prepared in the Eritrean Orthodox Church, by the 4th-century bishop Aba Salama.[1]

The monastery is the site of a pilgrimage by Eritrean Orthodox believers each year in June.[2] The pilgrimage centers on a church above the village where a vision of Mary was said to have been seen by shepherd girls beneath a large boulder. The church is built adjacent to and over the rock where the vision was seen. The pilgrimage includes thousands of ordinary Eritrean believers camping for one night in the village of Debra Sina, singing, drumming, chanting and celebrating Mary.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Edward Denison, Edward Paice (2007). Eritrea: The Bradt Travel Guide. p. 187. ISBN 1841621714.
  2. 1 2 Rahel Tasgedom (2012-06-06). "Debre Sina: Pilgrimage To One Of The Oldest Eritrean Monasteries". Eritrea Ministry of Information. Retrieved 2017-12-27.

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