In a major victory for cultural restitution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has formally repatriated two rare 12th-century processional crosses to the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture. The artifacts, known for their Lalibela-style intricate latticework, were identified as having been removed during the colonial period from a sacred rock-hewn monastery in the Amhara region.
The return marks the first phase of a new bilateral agreement between the museum and Ethiopian authorities to review the provenance of Orthodox Christian artifacts in US collections. The crosses will be housed in the National Museum of Ethiopia before being returned to their original liturgical use in the Holy City of Lalibela, reinforcing the role of heritage in national identity.