A sacred tablet that is supposedly representative of the presence of God on Earth could be returned to Ethiopia.
Westminster Abbey has announced a decision to return the tabot to the East African country "in principle."
The Ethiopian government has long been putting pressure on Westminster Abbey and the British Museum to return the relic.
As a royal peculiar, the Abbey is under the monarch’s jurisdiction, not that of the diocese and has previously refused to return the sacred artefacts.
Henry VII Chapel, or Henry VII Lady Chapel, Westminster Abbey
Getty
A spokesperson from the Abbey told The Art Newspaper: "The dean and chapter has decided in principle that it would be appropriate to return the Ethiopian tabot to the Ethiopian Church.
"We are considering the best way to achieve this and we are in ongoing discussions with representatives of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. This is a complex matter and it may take some time."
The tabot is a kind of tablet that represents the Ark of the Covenant, and is strictly forbidden to be looked at by anyone who is not a priest.
This particular tabot was looted during the Battle of Magdala, 390 miles from the Red Sea coast against the Ethiopian Empire, then known as Abyssinia. It is embedded in an altar in the Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey central London
PA
Historian and author Andrew Heavens told the London Evening Standard: "Tabots are a case apart from the Benin bronzes and the Elgin Marbles. It makes absolutely no sense to keep these tabots in limbo in the back of an altar or a room in the bowels of the British Museum."
The abbey’s tabot was donated in the 19th century by Captain George Arbuthnot on his return with the British Army and later placed within an altar in the Lady Chapel.
It was visible within the altar until 2010, even though tabots are considered so sacred by Ethiopian Christians that only priests are allowed to look at them.
In 2010, the abbey placed a covering over the tabot and painted over the inscription describing what it was. To retrieve the tabot, the altar will have to be dismantled.
A spokesperson from the Abbey added: "It was for this reason that steps were taken a number of years ago to ensure that the tabot, which is in a very sacred place, was properly covered and could not be seen by anyone."
They said the dean and chapter had been "very conscious of the sensitivity" of the tabot.
Hundreds of items were seized from Magdala as part of the battle. The majority of the looting was done by British soldiers and civilians after their rescue of British missionaries who had been taken hostage.
