18th-century crown returned to Cheleqot Sellassie church

Addis Ababa, February 29, 2020 (FBC) –The Ethiopian crown has been handed over to Sellassie church in Cheleqot, Tigray regional state, at a ceremony held in the premises of the National Museum.

Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Abune Mathias, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Dr Hirut Kassaw, federal and Tigray regional state officials attended the handover ceremony.

The 18th-century crown, which went missing from the church 21 years ago, was returned home a week ago by the Dutch government.

The handover took place at a ceremony in Addis Ababa and attended by Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed and Sigrid Kaag, the Dutch minister for foreign trade and development cooperation.