The galleries

Processional, hand and pendant crosses — the signature art of Ethiopian Christianity. No two are alike: each smith works the same sign into a new pattern of interlace.

Parchment books in Ge’ez: Gospels, Psalters, hymnaries and lives of the saints, written by hand with reed pens and bound between wooden boards.

Panel icons and painted cloths in the luminous Ethiopian style, with its wide eyes, strong outlines and clear, bright colours.

Vessels, censers, umbrellas and vestments used in worship. Most were given by the faithful and are still brought out on the great feasts.

The instruments of the zema chant handed down from Saint Yared: the drum, the sistrum and the prayer staff.