1 20 1 https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/77763/archive/files/ad419d9c3743f4a6059d1c4322d368e3.jpg?Expires=1787184000&Signature=QBGla-C5DuwMpGuaUlX5JzNm%7EBwTHM7ApR9znIzNWuWp82modCwy0hOuct1LMwxGNSnA-YwRQR8hoR01GCK4%7E1zqxg5RPbEqBeVe9HHknGpOER8R7hIK1nLGqZnfK0FyXGb5mhU71euHznE7J-XzSb9VTZJgUswUNMOLgHV7Kk1FUE2vPvTGekUjyUzEaoZO94w7QuNYfURyBLQ1iIK-9Hpalm7Yc5UjsLD0KZgnZrnRv2v0Su5GjO2bB0IhuBe%7EBjaqh4zZtmGohOO%7EPXMsb6k5U3KjR25dEBeE1RwDnHGTTv3Yj-n5QnJBKtYn%7EU5kZe811BIjMLhePwZ6hqd0Gg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM 30c4df2af49d35c7e587a9dbcefc333f Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Alleged Looter Person(s) who removed the object from the findspot or original location. Priest and hotel owner and his son. Alleged Smuggler Person(s) who moved the object out of its country of origin. dealer in the Ethiopian capital city Addis Ababa Alternate Name(s) Other names by which the object or group is known; these may be formal titles, museum titles or colloquial titles, if different from the above Object or Group Name. Afro Aygebam Case Summary Narrative summary of the object’s looting, identification by authorities and repatriation. The Lalibela processional cross, believed to be about 800 years old, is considered one of Ethiopia's most prized religious artifacts. It belongs to the church of Bete Medhane Alem (the Saviour of the World) among the rock hewn churches of the holy city of Lalibela, a UNESCO heritage site in the Amhara Region of Northern Ethiopia. The brass cross is believed to have miraculous healing powers referred to in its formal name, Afro Aygebam, meaning "it will not return to the church in shame." The cross was constantly guarded but a hotel owner whose daughter was sick persuaded a priest to sneak it out of the church on March 9, 1997 when one guard was ill and other asleep. The father, who hoped the cross would heal his sick daughter, plied the priest with alcohol until he fell asleep. When the priest awoke back at the church the cross had disappeared. Around midnight on March 9 residents were awoken by the sound of a ringing bell, confused voices and gunshots. Word spread that the cross had disappeared. The police made several arrests but had to release the suspects. The priest later came to the police and admitted that he and the hotel owner were the culprits. The police arrested the priest and questioned the father and brother of the girl, who claimed to have buried the cross in their backyard. However, a police excavation failed to find the cross. Two years later, in June 1999, the police traced it and arrested some antique dealers. After interrogations they found out that the brother of the girl had smuggled it out of Lalibela and sold it for one thousand birr (around USD$115) to an antique dealer in the town of Dessie, some 280 kilometers south, who had kept it hidden for a year. The dealer sold it on for an unknown amount to a dealer in Addis Ababa. He kept it hidden for a year and sold it to a Belgian collector, who had been coming to Ethiopia and who he had known since 1994, for the sum of USD$25,000 US dollars. Peter Gabriel Robleh, the Ethiopian ambassador to Belgium, informed the Belgian authorities and the cross was intercepted by the customs at Brussels' Zaventem airport in a parcel from an international courier labeled Ethiopian handicrafts. However, since there are no binding agreements between Belgium and Ethiopia customs authorities could not seize it. The Ethiopian embassy in Brussels engaged a lawyer who advised against legal proceedings since it would be difficult to prove bad faith on the part of the collector and suggested to try to convince him to return it. A representative of the Embassy approached the collector, who agreed to return it if he got his money back. The Ethiopian authorities agreed to pay for its return and the cross was flown back by the Ambassador in 1999 (though other sources wrongly claimed 2001) with crowds cheering. The Belgian Ambassador invited Ethiopian experts from the Ministry of Culture and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to inspect the Cross and it was compared with photographs and authenticated. The cross was handed over ceremoniously in the presence of the Ethiopian Patriarch, with the Ethiopian Minister of Culture signing for the receipt. The cross was then flown back to Lalibela and a ceremony held in the presence of a representative from the Belgian Embassy. Since neither Belgium nor Ethiopia have signed the 1995 UNIDROIT convention on stolen or illegally exported cultural objects, the collector was not punished and got his money back, while the priest and dealers received multiyear sentences. Country of Origin The modern country of origin that this object came from (i.e. where it was found). Select from drop-down list. Ethiopia Creation Date Year this object was created, in years BCE/CE; use circa if presenting a range. Use specific year, decade or century. circa 1200 CE Criminal Behaviors Alleged Criminal behavior associated with the case. Please select all that apply. Theft (stolen from a documented collection, rather than looted) Culture Ancient culture associated with the object. Orthodox Ethiopian Christianity Current Location Place where the object is currently held. Provide as much information as possible (Institution, City and Country, when known). Church of Bete Medhane Alem in Lalibela Amhara Region, Ethiopia Date Looted Approximate year that the object or group of objects was excavated or stolen. 9 March 1997 Dealer Person(s) who offered the object for sale. Unnamed Description of Object(s) Provide a brief description of the object or objects in the record. One of Ethiopia s most precious valuables, the Afro Ayigeba is a richly decorated metal cross some sixty centimeter long. Findspot Approximate site or location where the object was found (i.e. the archaeological provenience). Lalibela, Ethiopia Last Known Price, Valuation or Estimate The most recent reported price, valuation or estimate of the object. Should be displayed in USD, alongside list price in original currency. 25,000 MOLA Contributor(s) Person(s) who contributed to the information in this record. Anonymous is an acceptable entry. Alula Pankhurst Number of Objects Count of objects reflected in this record. 1 Object Materials Material(s) that the object or group of objects is made of. Select from drop-down list. Brass Object Type Type of object based on its function. Select from drop-down list. Religious Work – crucifixes, shrine objects, icons, religious texts Object or Group Name The common English name of the object or group of objects. Lalibela Cross Peer Reviewed By Person who peer reviewed this record. Jason Felch Private Collector Person who acquired the object for their personal collection. An anonymous private collector in Brussels Provenance Summary A chronological history of the object's ownership history, starting with the oldest date first. Enter a year and summary of the transaction for reach provenance event. The cross belongs to the Church of Medhane Alem (the saviour of the World) in the UNESCO heritage site of Lalibela in Northern Ethiopia and is believed to be about 800 years old. It was stolen on 9 March 1997 and sold to a dealer in a Dessie a town in Amhara region who kept it for a year before selling it to a dealer in the capital city Addis Ababa who kept it for a year and sold it to a Belgian collector he had known since 1994. The Ethiopian authorities traced the sale and the Ethiopian ambassador in Belgium alerted the authorities and the parcel sent by international currier was intercepted at Brussels airport. However, it was given delivered to the collector. He was approached by the Ethiopian embassy and agreed to return the cross if he got his money back. The Ethiopian authorities agreed and the cross was flown back to Addis Ababa by the Ethiopian ambassador, authenticated by the Ministry of Culture and the Patriarchate and flown back to Lalibela where it is still kept. Reason for Return Why the object was returned. Select from list: Law enforcement seizure; court ordered civil forfeiture; claim from country of origin; voluntary return absent a forfeiture or claim; or other. Voluntary return absent a forfeiture or claim Receiving Country Country that received the object during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. Ethiopia Repatriated? Repatriation status of the object. Select from drop-down list. Yes Research Notes Any additional notes about research questions, issues or further research needed. Several sources including Van Beurden and Wikipedia claim it was returned in 2001 but this news release from May 13, 1999 which was published in Addis Tribune shows that it was in fact returned in 1999. See: https://allafrica.com/stories/199905130060.html See also The new Humanitarian https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/23514/ethiopia-stolen-artifacts-recovered Returning Entity Institution or individual that returned the object to its country of origin (not a law enforcement agency). Unnamed private collector Sending Country Country from which the object was returned during repatriation. Select from drop-down list. Belgium Size General size of the object (numbered 1-5); 1 - small or fragmentary (e.g. coins or sherds) 2 - medium (e.g. most vases) 3 - large (e.g. between a bread box and an adult) 4 - extra large (i.e. adult human sized) 5 - monumental (larger than an adult human) 3 Sources Reliable sources of information related to the object and its repatriation. Preference to primary sources (court records, documents, archival sources) and authoritative secondary sources (media reports, blogs etc.). For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. Jos Van Beurden "A holy cross and the necessity for international conventions" in Culture without Context, the Newsletter of the Illicit Antiquities Research Centre, issue 9, Autumn 2001, pp.30-31. <br /><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120212184949/http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/projects/iarc/culturewithoutcontext/issue9/vanbeurden.htm">https://web.archive.org/web/20120212184949/http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/projects/iarc/culturewithoutcontext/issue9/vanbeurden.htm</a> Jos van Beurden "Inconvenient Heritage: colonial collections, and restitution in the Netherlands and Belgium", Amsterdam University Press. 2012, A Magic Cross at Brussels Airport pp. 23-24. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh-vIf5eAaw">YouTube video of Cross's return</a> Ethiopia's Stolen Gold Cross Returned From Belgium<br /><a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/199905130060.html" title="Ethiopia's Stolen Gold Cross Returned From Belgium">https://allafrica.com/stories/199905130060.html</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela_Cross">Wikipedia: Lalibela Cross</a> Status Completion status of MOLA record. Select from drop-down list: Stub (Needs basic research), Incomplete (Missing key fields), In progress (Has been assigned), Ready for review (Complete; awaiting peer review) and Completed (Ready to publish). Only Completed records are made Public. In progress Transportation or Storage Company Company that transported or stored the object. International courrier Value in 2024 US Dollars Value in 2024 US Dollars, adjusted for inflation. Use inflation calculator here: https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/en/?from=EUR&to=USD&amount=1 178,000 Year Acquired Year that the object was acquired by the institution. 1999 Year Returned Year of the return of the object to its country of origin. 1999 Images Source of the images uploaded to this record. Images should be labeled A, B, C, etc. For links, use a stable URL via Internet Archive. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela_Cross#/media/File:Lalibella_Cross.jpg">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalibela_Cross#/media/File:Lalibella_Cross.jpg</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lalibela Cross Brussels Ethiopia