Historian Richard Pankhurst offers the date of 1456 for the date of the founding of this church, providing a plausible argument that the light in the sky was Halley's Comet, which could have been in Shewa that year, although the traditional dates (10th day of the month of Maggabit, i.e. 6 or 7 March) do not coincide with the days that the comet was most visible (13 through 17 June).
Michel Debré | Debre Marqos | Robert Debré | Battle of Debre Tabor | Mekane Berhan | Jean-Louis Debré | Debre Tabor | Debre Libanos | Debre Damo | Debre Bizen | Debre Berhan | Battle of Debre Abbay |
After witnessing a bright light in the sky (which most historians have identified as Halley's Comet, visible in Ethiopia in 1456), Zara Yaqob founded Debre Berhan and made it his capital for the remainder of his reign.
One of the best known examples of this type of painting is at Debre Berhan Selassie in Gondar (pictured), famed for its angel covered roof (angels in Ethiopian art are often represented as winged heads) as well as its other murals dating from the late 17th century.