Chapter 24 - Č̣aqo Abba Däbtära

Summary

THE MONASTIC CENTRE and holy site of Čaqo Abba Däbtärais located in the Čəlga region, west of Dämbəyaand Säqqält. Its proximity to the latter regions, and tiesimplied with these regions’ religious communities, merit it beingexamined together with them. The sites we have examined in these regions sofar—the stations along Abba Ṣəbra andṢägga Amlak's journey toHoḫ^wärwa—were traditionally inhabited byBetä Ǝsraʾel monks in the distant past. By the time thefirst eyewitness accounts of encounters with monks were recorded byWesterners, or shortly after, these sites no longer served as permanentresidences of large monastic communities. The sites we will examine furtherbelow are the main monastic sites attested in the written sources, i.e.,dating from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. Chronologically,Č̣aqo Abba Däbtära seems to occupy a placebetween these two groups. Oral tradition situates its foundation in thedistant past (but later than the days of AbbaṢəbra) and associates the termination of the monastic centrewith events which most likely date to the nineteenth century.

The precise location of the site has not yet been pinpointed, but a localityby the name of Č̣aqo appears in historical maps and probablyindicates its general location. Halévy (1877a, 243) mentions thatAbba Däbtära (the name he uses to referto the site and associated Betä Ǝsraʾel village) is in“Thyelga,” i.e., Č̣əlga, in the districtof “Thy-aooko,” a probable reference to the nameČ̣aqo.

The Holy Site at Č̣aqo Abba Däbtära

The religious focal point of Č̣aqo Abba Däbtärais the holy site associated with the local-ity's monastic community.Even though we have not yet been able to reach and survey it, the detaileddescriptions appearing in the sources shed significant light on its layoutand different elements:

The Altar and Prayer House

Taamrat Emmanuel, in his description of Betä Ǝsraʾelmonks and holy places (Leslau 1974, 627–28), wrote, regarding theBetä Ǝsraʾel monk Abba Halen:

He was a Falasha, a native of Qwara. He is also known by the name of AbbaDäbtära, which is also the name of a locality inČ̣aqo, in Č̣əlga. For many years,nobody knew exactly where Abba Däbtära was. A Falasha,instructed by God, discovered the altar where Abba Halen used to offerhis sacrifices: it was a block of stone, that from nature itself hadreceived its square form.