This article contains special characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols. The Church of Our Lady, Mary of Zion is an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church which is claimed to contain the Ark of the Covenant. The church is located in the town of Axum, Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia, near the grounds of Obelisks of Axum. The original church is believed to have been built during the reign of Ezana the first Christian ruler of the Kingdom of Axum (Present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia), during the 4th century AD, and has been rebuilt several times since then. Accordingly women are not permitted entry into the “Old Church”, due to the reservation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, representing the archetype of the Ark is the only woman allowed within its premises. Today, the site contains the older church building rebuilt in the 16th century, the modern cathedral built by the Emperor Haile Selassie in 1950s, as well as a chapel that is alleged to enshrine and supernaturally protect the Ark of the Covenant. From Wikipedia
