IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD AMEN!

The Cave of Endreyas

Hiruy Simie

If you start a journey from the small town of Addis Zemen and travel towards Gondar, after some minutes you are bound to reach a place known as Tara Monastery. From this monastery if you turn to the right and travel for 2 or 3 km you will reach the famous cave known as ‘’Washa Endreyas’.

This monastery was founded 600 years ago. The monastery was established during the reign of Emperor Yekuno Amlak in the 13th century. Before, the monastery was founded however; i.e. in the times of Old Testament in Ethiopia the cave was an abode of a great serpent. Idolaters and animists used to worship the reptile by bringing for him tributes of all   kinds of things. The most common tribute /that was given to it was milk. The attendants of the serpent used to put the milk on a huge bowel made from a huge trunk of a tree. As a result the serpent worship dominated all the people in the area. For how many years this continued none until to day know.

At last the day came when our lord, the almighty sent a great saint by the name Abune Endreyas. The story of Aba Endreyas is similar to that of Angabo father of Makeda Queen of Sheba. It is our father Aba Endreyas who destroyed this worship of the serpent and other forms of Idolatry found on the place. The story is told in the following manner.

When Abune Endreyas reached the place first where the people worshiped the great serpent he became deeply sad He saw the ignorance of the people and the design of the devil to lead people away from the knowledge of Salvation found in the holy gospel. He was a saint filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and became determined to get rid of it.

Early next day he traveled to the cave where the feared serpent lived. When Abun Endreyas reached the place the serpent came out from the cave ready for a fight. This happened so because the serpent was not a common reptile but the abode of an evil spirit who aimed to lead people astray. It was this evil spirit who recognized the saint first and who came out for a fight hiding inside the flesh of the serpent. However our father was a true follower of saint Georgy and killed the serpent with the power of the Holy Spirit. When he entered the cave he found an idol shaped like a man from wood. He blessed the cave and consecrated it holy. He was able to win a victory over the force of evil and take away the ground which it had held for long.

Abba Endreyas transformed the cave in to a church by putting the ark of Jesus in it. He then celebrated also the establishment of the monastery. From that day on it became known as the cave of Endreyas or “washa Endryas.”

Still, to day one can see the bowl made from the wood which used to contain the tribute milk for the serpent still kept to remind all the faithful of the spiritual war fought by the saint. The wooden Idol that had a shape like a man also can be seen. This place has many other attractions apart from those mentioned above. Human dead bodies that remain until today in a condition of preserved intactness and escaping decay with different forms of wrappings /Genzet/ can be still visible. There are many more wonderful objects and places found in this are area for people to see. May the blessing and interceder of the saint be with us.

 Glory to God and his mother holy Mary Amen

May God Bless us. Amen!!