Debre Libanos Monastery, Portuguese Bridge and the Blue Nile Gorge » Venture Ethiopia - Tours and Travel

Debre Libanos Monastery, Portuguese Bridge and the Blue Nile Gorge

Combine the stunning scenery of the Blue Nile Gorge and Portuguese Bridge with one of the holiest sites of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

  • Visit one of the most important sites in the history of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church
  • Admire stunning views of the GurRiver from the PortugueseBridge, as it plunges into a waterfall hundreds of meters high
  • See a cave where Gelada baboons sleep at night
  • Look out for the endemic banded barbet, Abyssinian woodpecker, Ruppell's black chat and white-winged cliff chat
  • Descend to the Blue Nile gorge, often compared to the Grand Canyon and cited as "the largest canyon in Africa"

Debre Libanos

Founded in 1284 by Abuna Tekle Haymanot, Debre Libanos Monastery served as the centre of the Ethiopian Church for almost 500 years.  The monastery’s chief abbot, called the Ichege, was second only to the head of the whole Ethiopian Church.

Tekle Haymanot was an influential religious and political figure who was instrumental both in spreading Christianity through the region and in reinstating the rule of the Solomonic dynasty after several centuries of Zegwe reign.  He is usually depicted with six wings and one leg.  Tradition has it that after spending seven years (or 29 years, depending who you ask) standing on one leg, praying, his other leg fell off.

The monastery complex sits on a terrace between a cliff and the gorge of one of the tributaries of the Blue Nile.  Although today, the site has a calm, tranquil feel, situated amongst pleasant woodland and streams, in 1937 this was the site of one of the worst atrocities of the Italian occupation.  Fascist troops attacked and destroyed the monastery, killing 297 monks, more than 100 deacons and at least 400 lay people.

None of the original buildings of Debre Libanos survive.  Although two new churches have been built: the church over Tekle Haymanot’s tomb, which Emperor Haile Selassie ordered to be constructed in 1961, and a slightly older Church of the Cross, where a fragment of the True Cross is said to be preserved; it never regained the same status it previously held as a centre of religious learning, despite being home to five religious schools.  It does, however, remain an important pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians, who come to pay homage to the bones of the massacred monks. 

Along the side of the church, if you cross the river and continue uphill for about 15 minutes, this is spot where Saint Tekle Haimanot is believed to have prayed.  Sick people queue to receive holy water here as it is believed to be blessed the saint’s prayers.

Portuguese Bridge and Blue Nile Gorge

There is controversy about the origins of the so-called Portuguese Bridge. According to some, it was built in the 16th century by the Portuguese, but others say that it was built by Ras Darge (Emperor Menelik II’s uncle) in the 19th century.  After crossing the bridge, walk a short way along the side of the river until and you'll reach on a large rock from where you can see a magnificent 600m waterfall.  The waterfall is at its most impressive during the rainy season (July-September).  You may also see endemic Galada Baboons here.

Map of Debre Libanos Monastery, Portuguese Bridge and the Blue Nile Gorge

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