Rema Island is located in the southeastern part of Lake Tana

Lake Tana

Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia...

 in Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

, and has a latitude and longitude of 11°48′N 37°27′E. The island is the location of the church of Medhane Alem where the Emperor Sarsa Dengel

Sarsa Dengel

Sarsa Dengel was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...

 is interred. When R.E. Cheesman visited the church in March 1933, he found some paintings which he described as "beautiful" suggesting European artists or monks who had studied in Palestine

Palestine

Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....

. Two triptychs

Triptych

A triptych , from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works...

 in particular retained good colors, with "the old gold background and reds are superb and look like lacquer." Cheesman was also shown a blue-and-white porcelain jar, which Sarsa Dengel's

Sarsa Dengel

Sarsa Dengel was of Ethiopia, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty...

entrails were brought from the place of his death.