Yemrehana Krestos

Yemrehana Krestos (called "Abraham" by Francisco Álvares) was "negus" of Ethiopia, and a member of the Zagwe dynasty. According to Taddesse Tamrat, he was the son of Germa Seyum, the brother of Tatadim; however the Italian scholar Carlo Conti Rossini published in 1902 a document that stated Yemrehana Krestos was the successor of Na'akueto La'ab, and succeeded by Yetbarak. [Quoted in E.A. Wallis Budge, "A History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia", 1928 (Oosterhout, the Netherlands: Anthropological Publications, 1970), p. 277.]

Taddesse Tamrat describes him as the king of Ethiopia closest to a priest, noting that he insisted on ruling Ethiopia according to Apostolic canons. [Taddesse Tamrat, "Church and State in Ethiopia" (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1972), p. 61n.3.]

Yemrehana Krestos had a stone church built in the Aksumite style, which is named for him and is located 12 miles northeast from Lalibela. Alvarez left a description of what the church looked like in the early 16th century, in his "Prester John of the Indies". [Francisco Alvarez, "The Prester John of the Indies" translated by C.F. Beckingham and G.W.B. Huntingford (Cambridge: Hakluyt Society, 1961), chapter 53.] Taddesse suggests that construction of this church is related to the record of an Ethiopian delegation that came to Caliph Saladin in 1173, and is recorded as presenting a letter and many gifts to the Caliph; in the "Gadla Yemrehana Krestos", there is a passage that relates how he obtained the door from the Caliph's palace to use in his church. [Taddesse Tamrat, p. 58.] Paul B. Henze provides a list of several other rock-hewn churches attributed to this king. [Paul B. Henze, "Layers of Time, A History of Ethiopia" (New York: Palgrave, 2000), p. 51.]

Alvarez also recorded the tradition that Yemrehana Krestos began the tradition of confining rival heirs to the Imperial throne at Amba Geshen. [Alvarez, chapter 59.]

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