Iyasus Mo'a
Encyclopedia
Iyasus Mo'a is a saint
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
; his feast day is 26 Hedar (or 5 December). In life he was an Ethiopia
n monk
and abbot of Istifanos Monastery
in Lake Hayq
of Amba Sel.
He was born in Dehana, which may have been the woreda
in the Wag Hemra Zone
, although G.W.B. Huntingford identifies it with Dahna, a village 15 miles east of the Tekezé River
. At the age of 30, Iyasus Mo'a travelled to the monastery of Debre Damo
during the abbacy of Abba Yohannis where he was made a monk, and was given arduous tasks by the abbot. After seven years, he left Debra Damo and came to live with a hermetic community living around the 8th century church of Istanafanos at Lake Hayq, and organized this group into a monastery with rules and a school. One of the students of this school was Saint Tekle Haymanot
, who stayed at the monastery for 10 years. One of the Zagwe kings
later made him abbot of this monastery.
His biography, the Gadla Iyasus Mo`a ("Acts of Iyasus Mo`a"), records that Yekuno Amlak
had fled from the authorities in Amba Sel and hid in the church because of a prophecy (tinbit) that he would become a king. His mother, upon hearing such prediction, brought him to Istifanos Monastery
in Lake Hayq and begged the priests there to hide her son and save him from being killed. Iyasus Mo'a protected and educated the boy, and in return, Emperor Yekuno Amlak built the structure to house his community. Later hagiographies state that Yekuno Amlak was helped by Tekle Haymanot, but the critical researches of Carlo Conti Rossini suggest that the Gadla Iyasus Mo`a is closer to the correct version of events.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the predominant Oriental Orthodox Christian church in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Church was administratively part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All...
; his feast day is 26 Hedar (or 5 December). In life he was an Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and abbot of Istifanos Monastery
Istifanos Monastery
Istifanos Monastery is in Ethiopia, located in Lake Hayq. The monastery was built around an 8th century church of Aksumite origins by Emperor Yekuno Amlak to fulfill a promise he made to Iyasus Mo'a.- History :The monastery is responsible for producing five people, known as...
in Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq
Lake Hayq or Lake Haik is a freshwater lake of Ethiopia. It is located north of Dessie, in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region . The town of Hayq is to the west of the lake....
of Amba Sel.
He was born in Dehana, which may have been the woreda
Dehana
Dehana is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is named for one of the five clans of the Agaw. Part of the Wag Hemra Zone, Dehana is bordered on the south by the Semien Wollo Zone, on the southwest by the Debub Gondar Zone, on the northwest by the Semien Gondar Zone, on...
in the Wag Hemra Zone
Wag Hemra Zone
Wag Hemra is a Zone in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Its name is a combination of the former province of Wag, and the dominant local ethnic group, the Kamyr Agaw. Wag Hemra is bordered on the south by Semien Wollo, on the southwest by Debub Gondar, on the west by Semen Gondar, on the north and...
, although G.W.B. Huntingford identifies it with Dahna, a village 15 miles east of the Tekezé River
Tekezé River
The Tekezé River, also known as the Takkaze River, is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan. According to materials published by the...
. At the age of 30, Iyasus Mo'a travelled to the monastery of Debre Damo
Debre Damo
Debre Damo is the name of a flat-topped mountain, or amba, and a 6th century monastery in northern Ethiopia. The mountain is a steeply rising plateau of trapezoidal shape, about 1000 by 400 meters in dimension. With a latitude and longitude of , it sits at an elevation of 2216 meters above sea level...
during the abbacy of Abba Yohannis where he was made a monk, and was given arduous tasks by the abbot. After seven years, he left Debra Damo and came to live with a hermetic community living around the 8th century church of Istanafanos at Lake Hayq, and organized this group into a monastery with rules and a school. One of the students of this school was Saint Tekle Haymanot
Tekle Haymanot
Tekle Haymanot or Takla Haymanot was an Ethiopian monk who founded a major monastery in his native province of Shewa...
, who stayed at the monastery for 10 years. One of the Zagwe kings
Zagwe dynasty
The Zagwe dynasty was an historical kingdom in present-day Ethiopia. It ruled large parts of the territory from approximately 1137 to 1270, when the last Zagwe King Za-Ilmaknun was killed in battle by the forces of Yekuno Amlak...
later made him abbot of this monastery.
His biography, the Gadla Iyasus Mo`a ("Acts of Iyasus Mo`a"), records that Yekuno Amlak
Yekuno Amlak of Ethiopia
Emperor Yekuno Amlak was of Ethiopia and founder of the Solomonic dynasty. He traced his ancestry through his father, Tasfa Iyasus, to Dil Na'od, the last King of Axum.-Rise to power:...
had fled from the authorities in Amba Sel and hid in the church because of a prophecy (tinbit) that he would become a king. His mother, upon hearing such prediction, brought him to Istifanos Monastery
Istifanos Monastery
Istifanos Monastery is in Ethiopia, located in Lake Hayq. The monastery was built around an 8th century church of Aksumite origins by Emperor Yekuno Amlak to fulfill a promise he made to Iyasus Mo'a.- History :The monastery is responsible for producing five people, known as...
in Lake Hayq and begged the priests there to hide her son and save him from being killed. Iyasus Mo'a protected and educated the boy, and in return, Emperor Yekuno Amlak built the structure to house his community. Later hagiographies state that Yekuno Amlak was helped by Tekle Haymanot, but the critical researches of Carlo Conti Rossini suggest that the Gadla Iyasus Mo`a is closer to the correct version of events.