Holy Trinity Cathedral is one of the most important churches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the ceremonial cathedral of Addis Ababa. Its architecture is distinctive, a monumental composition of carved stone with domes, arches and rich exterior sculpture, resting on a Christian tradition older than almost any other in the world yet expressed here in a resolutely modern building. Inside, stained glass, painted scenes and the veiled sanctuary follow the Ethiopian liturgical order, while the cathedral also serves as a national mausoleum: it holds the tomb of the country's last emperor and monuments to Ethiopians who died resisting foreign occupation. The episode combines architecture and living ritual, filming processions, chant, the ceremonial umbrellas and drums of Ethiopian worship, and the memorial function that makes this cathedral a place of national as well as religious identity.
