The Lalibela Cross is a large, elaborately decorated

processional cross A processional cross is a crucifix or cross which is carried in Christian processions. Such crosses have a long history: the Gregorian mission of Saint Augustine of Canterbury to England carried one before them "like a standard", according to ...

variation of the Ethiopian-Eritrean cross, considered one of Ethiopia's most precious religious and historical heirlooms. It is held by the Bet Medhane Alem, the House of the Redeemer of the World, a 12th-century rock-cut church in

Lalibela Lalibela () is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches designed in contrast to the earlier monolithic churches in Ethiopia ...

. A priest may rub believers with the cross to bless them or heal them. The style of the cross was common in its time and those of this style are often simply referred to today as "Lalibela crosses". The cross is thought to date to the 12th century. It is around long and weighs around . It is made from one piece of metal, either

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

, or

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

and gold. The central cross has an elongated descending arm and flared ends surrounded by an elaborately ornamented encircling band. Like many Ethiopian processional crosses, the bottom of the cross is supported by "Adam's arms", a motif that realistically or abstractly portrays the arms of Adam.W. Korabiewicz. 1973 "The Ethiopian Cross" Holy Trinity Cathedral: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia On processional crosses they are draped with brightly colored pieces of cloth for festive occasions. The cross was stolen in March 1997, but located in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in 1999, when a dealer in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

sold it to a Belgian collector for US$25,000. After the collector's money was returned and it was agreed that no further legal action would be taken, the cross was returned to Ethiopia in 2001.

References

"A holy cross and the necessity for international conventions"
Jos van Beurden, Illicit Antiquities Research Centre, in Culture Without Context, Issue 9, Autumn 2001

New York Times, 2 August 2001 {{Authority control 12th-century artifacts Culture of Ethiopia Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Gold objects Processional crosses Ethiopian art Lalibela