XVIIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Ethiopia
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Gonder was Ethiopia’s capital from 1666 to 1864 and became a major royal and architectural center under Emperor Fasilada. The city contains palaces, castles, basalt walls, and the Church of Debre Birha Selassie, whose religious art is highlighted in the account.
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Gonder became Ethiopia’s capital in 1666 under Emperor Fasilada, who founded the city and built a complex of palaces. Its political importance lasted until 1864, when the capital was moved elsewhere. The city’s royal compounds preserve the memory of a period in which Ethiopian sovereignty was expressed through monumental construction and courtly architecture.
Outside Gonder, in the valley of Qaha, Fasilada built a palace overlooking a bath later known as Emperor Fasilada’s bath. His successors added smaller castles within the same compound, which was enclosed by basalt walls. The concentration of palaces and fortified structures gives Gonder an unusually visible royal architectural landscape.
Fasilada’s grandson built the Church of Debre Birha Selassie, also called the Abbey of the Light of Trinity. Its walls and ceilings were decorated with mural paintings. Together with the castles and palaces, the church illustrates the combination of royal power, religious patronage, and artistic production that shaped Gonder’s historical identity.
XVIIᵉ siècle – XIXᵉ siècle
Ethiopia
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
Gonder was Ethiopia’s capital from 1666 to 1864 and became a major royal and architectural center under Emperor Fasilada. The city contains palaces, castles, basalt walls, and the Church of Debre Birha Selassie, whose religious art is highlighted in the account.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Gonder became Ethiopia’s capital in 1666 under Emperor Fasilada, who founded the city and built a complex of palaces. Its political importance lasted until 1864, when the capital was moved elsewhere. The city’s royal compounds preserve the memory of a period in which Ethiopian sovereignty was expressed through monumental construction and courtly architecture.
Outside Gonder, in the valley of Qaha, Fasilada built a palace overlooking a bath later known as Emperor Fasilada’s bath. His successors added smaller castles within the same compound, which was enclosed by basalt walls. The concentration of palaces and fortified structures gives Gonder an unusually visible royal architectural landscape.
Fasilada’s grandson built the Church of Debre Birha Selassie, also called the Abbey of the Light of Trinity. Its walls and ceilings were decorated with mural paintings. Together with the castles and palaces, the church illustrates the combination of royal power, religious patronage, and artistic production that shaped Gonder’s historical identity.