St. Mary's Church and Menelik's Mausoleum

Octagonal church with the tomb of Emperor Menelik II, founder of modern Ethiopia

The octagonal St. Mary's Church (Bete Maryam) on the Jubilee Palace grounds contains the mausoleum of Emperor Menelik II, the ruler who founded Addis Ababa and led Ethiopia to its famous victory over Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896. The church itself dates from the 1890s and is richly decorated in the Ethiopian Orthodox style.

Access to the mausoleum depends on the day and the goodwill of the guards — it is within the palace grounds and is not always open to visitors. It is worth attempting, particularly on a weekday morning. The frescoes inside the church are some of the finest examples of traditional Ethiopian religious painting in the capital.

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Emperor Menelik II is buried here, along with his wife Empress Taitu. Menelik defeated the Italian army at the Battle of Adwa in 1896 — the first time an African nation defeated a European colonial power in a pitched battle — and the victory preserved Ethiopian independence for another four decades. He is considered the founder of modern Ethiopia.

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