Wukro Chirkos
Encyclopedia
Wukro Chirkos is a monolithic church
in northern Ethiopia
, on the northern edge of the town of Wukro
near the main highway. From the time members of the British expedition of 1868
reported its existence until the early 20th century, it was the only rock-hewn church known to the outside world.
Wukro Chirkos is dedicated to the child martyr Quiricus of Tarsus
. Due to its location, this church remains the most accessible example of these structures.
or "cross-in-square"; as a result, it is frequently grouped with other churches with the same floor plan, namely Abreha we Atsbeha and Mikael Imba. Although the interior is divided into three or five aisles -- "depending on how one describes the intermediary supports in the transverse section" according to Ruth Plant -- its cruciform layout is emphasized by the barrel vault
in line with the apse
and the sanctuary containing the tabot
. Plant identified Axum
ite detail acting as frieze
above the columns in the three arms of the crossing. The column shafts are chamfered, rising from bases upon the floor, and the capitals of the smaller columns are squared with elliptical chamfered edges. Plant wrote that the bracket capitals
of the columns at the crossing are not as refined as the corresponding columns of Abreha we Atsbeha.
Like the other Ethiopian cruciform churches mentioned above, the entrance porch of Wukro Chirkos is distinguished by a central pillar that forces the priests and congregants to enter on either side, rather than a direct line.
; more recently David Phillipson has dated the group of cross-in-square churches between AD 700 and 1000.
The walls and ceilings show signs of damage from fire, which local tradition attributes to a 16th-century sack by Imam
Ahmed Gragn. The churchyard includes the remains of several Italians interred there during the time of their occupation
. A cement floor was added and the roof to the porch was raised around 1958. Munro-Hay notes a number of modern improvements which include a modern bell-tower and a new gatehouse to the compound around the church.
Monolithic church
A monolithic church or rock-hewn church is a church made from a single block of stone. They are one of the most basic forms of monolithic architecture....
in northern 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...
, on the northern edge of the town of Wukro
Wukro
Wukro is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Misraqawi zone of the Tigray region on the Asmara-Addis Ababa highway, it is the administrative center of the district named after the town.- Overview :The rock-hewn churches around Wukro are the town's most distinctive landmarks; in the early...
near the main highway. From the time members of the British expedition of 1868
1868 Expedition to Abyssinia
The British 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire...
reported its existence until the early 20th century, it was the only rock-hewn church known to the outside world.
Wukro Chirkos is dedicated to the child martyr Quiricus of Tarsus
Tarsus
Tarsus may refer to:*Tarsus , a cluster of articulating bones in each foot** Tarsometatarsus, a fusion of the tarsus and metatarsus mainly found in birds...
. Due to its location, this church remains the most accessible example of these structures.
Description
The layout of this church is generally described as cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
or "cross-in-square"; as a result, it is frequently grouped with other churches with the same floor plan, namely Abreha we Atsbeha and Mikael Imba. Although the interior is divided into three or five aisles -- "depending on how one describes the intermediary supports in the transverse section" according to Ruth Plant -- its cruciform layout is emphasized by the barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
in line with the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
and the sanctuary containing the tabot
Tabot
Tabot , is a Ge'ez word referring to a replica of the Tablets of Law, onto which the Biblical Ten Commandments were inscribed, used in the practices of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Tabot can also refer to a replica of the Ark of the Covenant...
. Plant identified Axum
Axum
Axum or Aksum is a city in northern Ethiopia which was the original capital of the eponymous kingdom of Axum. Population 56,500 . Axum was a naval and trading power that ruled the region from ca. 400 BC into the 10th century...
ite detail acting as frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
above the columns in the three arms of the crossing. The column shafts are chamfered, rising from bases upon the floor, and the capitals of the smaller columns are squared with elliptical chamfered edges. Plant wrote that the bracket capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
of the columns at the crossing are not as refined as the corresponding columns of Abreha we Atsbeha.
Like the other Ethiopian cruciform churches mentioned above, the entrance porch of Wukro Chirkos is distinguished by a central pillar that forces the priests and congregants to enter on either side, rather than a direct line.
History
Stuart Munro-Hay was told that Wukro Chirkos was constructed during the reign of the two brother kings, Abreha and Asbeha. However, David Buxton dated the construction of Wukro Chirkos to a period between the creation of Medhane Alem Adi Kasho yet a century before the construction of the churches of LalibelaLalibela
Lalibela is a town in northern Ethiopia, known for its monolithic churches. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia's holiest cities, second only to Aksum, and is a center of pilgrimage for much of the country. Unlike Aksum, the population of Lalibela is almost completely Ethiopian Orthodox Christian...
; more recently David Phillipson has dated the group of cross-in-square churches between AD 700 and 1000.
The walls and ceilings show signs of damage from fire, which local tradition attributes to a 16th-century sack by Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Ahmed Gragn. The churchyard includes the remains of several Italians interred there during the time of their occupation
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
. A cement floor was added and the roof to the porch was raised around 1958. Munro-Hay notes a number of modern improvements which include a modern bell-tower and a new gatehouse to the compound around the church.