Original Painting of Menelik I and the arrival of the Ark to Axum, St. Mary of Zion
The Ark of the Covenant, the holiest of artifacts known to house the Ten Commandments, was last mentioned to exist over 2,400 years ago.
It is thought that it was taken away and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and plundered King Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC. However, rumors continue to exist that the Ark of the Covenant was saved and still exists today.
One of the most credible theories of the Ark of the Covenant’s location is in Ethiopia.
It all begins with Menelik I, son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Menelik I was educated in Jerusalem until he was 19 years of age. When Menelik was to return to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) with a group of Jews, King Solomon wanted Menelik I to take a copy of the Ark for prayer since Ethiopia was so far away from the Temple in Jerusalem.
However, Prince Menelik I was concerned about the sanctity of the Ark, since Solomon had allowed idols to be placed in the Temple along with the Ark to please his pagan wives. Menelik and his followers formulated a plan and swapped the Arks after they ensured the attending priests were drunk from wine during his departure festivities.
The real Ark of the Covenant arrived with Menelik I in Ethiopia and resided at the Lake Tana Cherkos monastery for the next 800 years. It eventually found its resting place at the Church of Saint Mary of Zion in Axum, Ethiopia. From that point to the present, the church is staffed by just one Monk known as the “Guardian of the Ark”, who is appointed to this sacred position for life. The monk is quick to inform all curious visitors that he, along with the rest of Axum, would give their lives to protect the Ark. Only the Guardian is allowed to view the Ark and all others, regardless of position or wealth, are turned away.
Italian policy of the 20th century considered Ethiopia to be in its sphere of influence. It was one of the few remaining African countries which still preserved its independence, free from European domination. Ethiopia had also skirmished with Italy in the past and won the engagement decisively. This occurred in 1896 when 14,500 Italian soldiers suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of 80,000 Ethiopians in Adwa.
Field Marshal Rodolfo Graziani: Viceroy of Ethiopia
Fueled by the need for revenge and expansion by colonization, Mussolini sent his newly mechanized legions under the command of Field Marshal Rodolfo Graziani across the Abyssinian border from Italian Somaliland and Eritrea on October 3, 1935.
Abyssinia was quickly overran. Protests were issued by the League of Nations. It seemed that only the Vatican kept quiet.
Some may speculate that the Vatican blessed the Italian invasion of Abyssinia for its own selfish reasons. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church had every right to call itself the original Christian faith just as much as the Roman Catholics at the Vatican. And it certainly didn’t sit well when the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church refused to accept the Pope as the supreme leader of the Christian faith.
Pope Pius XI was careful to not personally endorse the Italian invasion on Abyssinia. The potential backlash from Catholics worldwide would be enough reason to not support this war publicly. But it is rumored that Mussolini obtained Vatican support for the invasion because it would allow the Vatican to submit the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to its will.
Although Pope Pius XI was fairly quiet during Italy’s occupation of Abyssinia, other members of the Vatican were much more vocal. Archbishop of Torano was quoted as saying:
“The war against Ethiopia should be considered as a holy war, a crusade (as
Italian victory would) open Ethiopia, a country of infidels and schismatics, to the expansion of the Catholic Faith.”
Ethiopia, with its long, rich history of Judaism and Christianity, claimed to possess the one artifact most desired by all the major religions; the Ark of the Covenant. The Vatican was certainly aware of this claim. And it would be extremely difficult for the Vatican to justify itself as the representative of Christianity if the world’s Holiest artifact still remained in the possession of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
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claireshana on 
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Great article, I’ll be on Wikipedia all night following up now!