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CONSERVING WALL PAINTINGS WITHIN a LIVING RELIGIOUS TRADITION in TIGRAY, Sensitivities Relating to Religious Use Shape Other Aspects of the Programme

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CONSERVING WALL PAINTINGS WITHIN a LIVING RELIGIOUS TRADITION in TIGRAY, Sensitivities Relating to Religious Use Shape Other Aspects of the Programme ICOM-CC 18th Triennial Conference Exercising restraint: Conserving wall 2017 Copenhagen paintings within a living religious MURALS, STONE, AND ROCK ART tradition in Tigray, Ethiopia STEPHEN RICKERBY INTRODUCTION Ross-on-Wye, United Kingdom [email protected] www.rickerby-shekede.com Since the official adoption of Christianity by the Aksumite state around LISA SHEKEDE* 340 (Phillipson 2009, 30), the northern region of Tigray has been the Ross-on-Wye, United Kingdom [email protected] guardian of Ethiopia’s most venerable Christian traditions, embodied in www.rickerby-shekede.com the region’s many painted rock-cut and constructed churches (Figure 1). BLAIR PRIDAY Ethiopian Heritage Fund Widely scattered across mountainous terrain and typically hidden in Eardisley, United Kingdom remote locations, these sites only began to be recorded by scholars in [email protected] www.ethiopianheritagefund.org the 1960s: to date, about 150 churches are documented, around 20 of KEBEDE AMARE which are painted, though still no complete survey has been made (Pearce Mekelle University Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia 1968, Teweldemedhin 1970, Buxton 1971, Jäger 1974, Juel-Jensen 1975, [email protected] Plant 1985, Lepage 2005, Batistoni 2015, Friedlander 2015) (Figure 2). MEKONEN HAGOS DESTA Tigray Culture and Tourism Bureau Additionally, lacking the status accorded to other cultural monuments in Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia [email protected] Ethiopia – such as the World Heritage sites of Aksum and Lalibela – they *Author for correspondence survive at the margins of administrative oversight, which is divided – and sometimes contested – between religious and state authorities, and local communities. Preservation issues are diverse and complex, and are also KEYWORDS: Ethiopia, Tigray, wall painting conservation, churches, tourism now rapidly shifting in the face of increasing tourism to the area and the growing interest of the international conservation profession. ABSTRACT The rock-hewn and constructed churches of Tigray preserve an ancient, unique, and little known wall painting heritage. While environ- mental and structural problems, neglect, and occasionally, damaging renewal, have had ad- verse effects, most wall paintings survive with their essential integrity undisturbed. Traditional guardianship has been a major reason for this, but increasing tourism and misguided conser- vation efforts now risk upsetting this equilib- rium. To address this situation, the Ethiopian Heritage Fund, a UK-based charity, carried out a groundbreaking technical and condition sur- vey of Tigray’s painted churches in 2013, and has since embarked on a carefully considered conservation programme. This paper describes the challenges of implementing conservation within the context of a living religious heritage. Figure 1. Map of Ethiopia indicating the location of Tigray: reproduced with the permission of Tarn Phillip 2 ICOM-CC Since 2013, the Ethiopian Heritage Fund (EHF), a UK-based charity 18th Triennial Conference 2017 Copenhagen founded to promote the preservation of Ethiopia’s cultural heritage, has been at the forefront of efforts to conserve these painted churches, working MURALS, STONE, AND ROCK ART in collaboration with the Tigray Culture and Tourism Bureau (TCTB) EXERCISING RESTRAINT: CONSERVING WALL PAINTINGS WITHIN A LIVING and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. This paper reflects on the RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA stages and outcomes of this endeavour, in the context of a challenging and changing conservation environment. THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES Damage and deterioration Long-term threats to the survival of Tigray’s wall painting heritage are numerous. Inherent geological and environmental issues present largely intractable problems at many rock-cut churches, which are all excavated from friable sandstone (Asrat 2002). Rock fracturing and collapse have occurred at some sites, and are a risk at others. Painted interiors are exposed to highly fluctuating external environmental conditions as a result of rock failure or other causes, leading to chronic moisture- and salt-related Figure 2. The mountain-top location of deterioration. This includes stone disintegration, which is particularly Debra Maryam Qorqor is typical for Tigray’s remote painted churches problematic where paintings are executed directly onto the rock (Figure 3). The built churches are mainly composite structures of stone and timber, and their paintings – usually executed on earthen plasters – are also prone to structural failure and environmental deterioration. Paintings are typically altered by a wide variety of other factors, such as fire damage and smoke blackening; macro-biology, including infestations of bats, beetles and termites; and inherent failure of plasters and paint materials (Figure 4). Usage and recognition Newer threats relate to changing aspects of usage and recognition. Local communities have traditionally guarded churches and their paintings vigilantly against outside interference. This is still prevalent when several Figure 3. Chronic moisture- and salt- related deterioration affects the 13th-century circumstances are combined: where churches are very remote and hardly paintings in the rock-cut church of Debra accessible; where their paintings are found in the maqdas, or sanctuary, Maryam Qorqor to which laity are denied access (Phillipson 2009, 25–27, 208); and where local reverence for paintings engenders an aversion to change. While mostly beneficial, such autonomy and control also have adverse consequences: serious deterioration may remain unrecognised and unaddressed, and unilateral attempts at renovation and renewal can result in damage and loss. Examples of the latter are numerous: dimly lit rock-cut interiors are redecorated in bright colours, sometimes obliterating earlier, fragmentary painting (Figure 5); paintings may be concealed or damaged by the installation of new barriers or curtains to divide the maqdas from the public parts of church interiors (Figure 6); modern paintings on canvas are glued over ancient paintings (Figure 7). Such initiatives are often stimulated by Figure 4. Failures of the constructed church locals who, having left their rural origins and prospered in nearby towns, of Petros Tefetsame Samaet, Melehayzenghi, wish to contribute something to their birthplace in the form of a gift to have severely damaged its 17th-century the church. Their acts of charity are difficult to control, as local priests paintings can rarely turn them down, and implementation usually occurs without the knowledge of overseeing authorities. 3 ICOM-CC A more pervasive issue is probably that of neglect. Ancient churches 18th Triennial Conference 2017 Copenhagen are often small, survive in poor condition, are typically located far from populated areas, and are not easily accessible. These provide motivations MURALS, STONE, AND ROCK ART for building new, bigger churches closer to growing rural communities. EXERCISING RESTRAINT: CONSERVING WALL PAINTINGS WITHIN A LIVING Lack of resources, poor maintenance, and unregulated usage of the older RELIGIOUS TRADITION IN TIGRAY, ETHIOPIA building can result in damage to wall paintings. Worse still, an ancient church may be deliberately abandoned, and its building materials plundered for reuse in constructing a new church, leaving vulnerable wall paintings exposed to deterioration and loss (Figure 8). Conversely, neglect can also be benign. Very remote churches can be left in an undisturbed condition, leaving their ancient wall paintings in a state of authenticity that is almost unrivalled in the modern world. Effects of tourism Into this state of affairs, tourism is exerting a growing influence. In 2015, Ethiopia was voted ‘world’s best tourist destination’ by the European Council on Tourism and Trade, and, boosted by governmental promotion and a generally stable political climate, the country has been attracting an average 12% visitor increase year on year over the past decade.1 Tigray’s slightly higher figure of 13.2% for the same period reflects growing awareness of the region’s attractions, with 70% of Ethiopia’s 910,000 tourists travelling there in 2015 (Graph 1). Its popularity has been encouraged by several Figure 5. Modern decoration in the church of factors. While the more famous rock-cut site of Lalibela remains a must- Gebriel Tsilal Meo illustrates one of the risks to see destination, steep hikes in entrance fees in 2013 are reportedly leaving these ancient rock-cut interiors many visitors disillusioned.2 The painted churches of Tigray offer instead an extraordinary alternative experience, combining a sense of adventure and contact with a remote spiritual world. These are powerful attractions for travellers motivated by a desire for new and different experiences, untainted by overt commercialism. Embodying these qualities, the rock-cut churches of Tigray are becoming better known. Travel companies offer comprehensive packages for the discerning and daring tourist, in which the painted churches are a highlight. Ethiopian Airways, the expanding national airline, promotes the painted churches on its in-flight videos. Luxury lodges and eco-lodges are being developed, offering a range of accommodation in proximity to the churches. New roads improve access while still allowing intrepid visitors the challenges of mountain climbing Figure 6. An example of harmful religious practice at Maryam Bahra: placement and to reach remote and beautiful sites. use of the sanctuary
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