According to tradition, the monastery of Debre Damo, located on top of a large flat topped mountain known as an “amba”, was founded Za Mikael, also known as Abuna Aregawi, one of the Nine Saints, in the 6th century. The mountaintop monastery is only accessible via a rope, and exclusively so to men. It is home to the oldest surviving church building in the country and is the residence of some 100 monks living in one to two storey houses. The site is known for its ancient manuscripts and there is also a restored bell tower built in a neo-Aksumite style.
The oldest sections of the main church date to the 10th or 11th century. This 20 by 9 meter church is probably one of the most well preserved Aksumite edifices in Ethiopia. It is built from alternating layers of dry stone masonry (once covered in white plaster) and massive wooden beams, in addition to protruding lateral wooden supports, known as monkey heads, and framed by ashlar masonry cornerstones. This once flat-roofed, 2 storey church is currently covered by a protective corrugated steel roof.
In January 2021, the Debre Damo monastery was partly destroyed and looted by Eritrean soldiers as part of the ongoing Tigray War, though the historical Enda Abuna Aregawi church escaped any immediate damage.
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