Mereja.Forum

[Noble Amhara]

[Noble Amhara]

[Noble Amhara]

Moa Iyasus of Zagwe Kingdom



Iyäsus-Mo’a, Abba, saint of the Ethiopian Church, was the founder and abbot of the monastery of St. Stephen in an island in Lake Hayq in Ambassel Bete Amhara.



His name means “Jesus has won.” One of the most eminent personalities of Ethiopian monasticism, he was born, according to the Gädlä ‘Iyasus-Mo’a composed in the fifteenth century, in Dahana, in Wagshum, Zagwe Kingdom




to Zä-Krestos and ‘Egzi’e-Kebra. In his thirtieth year he went to the monastery of Däbrä Damo, where, after seven years of novitiate, he received the monastic habit and scapular from Abba Yohanni. He was then appointed abbot of the monastery of Debra Hayq by one of the kings of the Zagwé dynasty. He remained there for forty-four years, until his death. He is said to have been the spiritual father of St. Täklä-Haymanot, who stayed with him on the island for ten years.



Traditionally, ‘Iyäsus-Mo’a played a leading part in the restoration of the Bet Amhara Solomonic dynasty in or about 1270: thanks to his help Emperor Yekuno-‘Amlak obtained the throne, in gratitude for which he endowed the monastery with privileges, this occurred in Ambassel Monastery of St. Estifanos



including the gift to ‘Iyäsus-Mo’a’s disciple, Abba Zä-‘Iyäsus, of the office of ‘agabé sä’at and one-third of the property of the realm. In the fifteenth century, however, Däbrä Hayq lost its privileges; another tradition appeared, applying the historical role of ‘Iyäsus-Mo’a and the powers received by him to Täklä-Haymanot and the monastery of Däbrä Libanos of Šhewa, whose abbot stood at the head of the regular clergy.



In the list of the spiritual sons of ‘Iyäsus-Mo’a, figure the great names of Ethiopian monasticism: St. Täklä-Haymanot, Abba Bä-Sälotä-Mika’él, ‘Aron (Ecca-Aron of Däbrä Darét or Aron the Thaumaturge), and Abba Giyorgis of Gasecca. The Ethiopian Church commemorates ‘Iyäsus-Mo’a on 26 Hedar (5 December). The most famous of his mortifications was that for fifty years of his monastic life he did not sleep on his side, but in a sitting position, according to the rule of Pachomius.

Stanslaw Kur

Zagwe Dynasty was never entirely overthrown it was demoted to Wagshum Awraja Dynasty and had no tributes or taxes to pay to the Solomonic Dynasty

In fact Zagwe Dynasty is Wagshum Dynasty which survived up to Tekle Giyorgis II reign during Atse Tewodros Ending Reign in 1868

[Noble Amhara]