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Where is the Ark of the Covenant today?

Author

Emma Payne

Published Jan 12, 2026

According to church leaders, the Ark of the Covenant has for centuries been closely guarded in Aksum at the Church of St. Mary of Zion. Not even the high priest of Aksum can enter its resting chamber. Its sole custodian is a virgin monk who cannot leave the sacred grounds until his death.

When was the last time the Ark of the Covenant was seen?

The last time the Ark of the Covenant was supposedly seen was in Jerusalem, some 2,600 years ago. Now archaeologists are exploring the ancient town of Kiriath Jearim, where the Bible says the ark was kept for 20 years before being taken to Jerusalem.

Where is the Ark of the Covenant today 2021?

The Ark is currently kept under guard in a treasury near the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.

Where was the Ark of the Covenant last seen?

Much of Jewish tradition holds that it disappeared before or while the Babylonians sacked the temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. But through the centuries, Ethiopian Christians have claimed that the ark rests in a chapel in the small town of Aksum, in their country's northern highlands.

Where is the Ark of the Covenant in the Bible now?

One of the most well known holds that Levitical priests moved the Ark to Egypt just before the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C. From there it was supposedly moved to Ethiopia, where it resides to this day in the town of Aksum, in the St. Mary of Zion cathedral.

23 related questions found

Where is the Holy Grail now?

In their newly published book “Los Reyes del Grial” (“The Kings of the Grail”), medieval history lecturer Margarita Torres and art historian José Miguel Ortega del Rio claim the Holy Grail rests inside the Basilica of San Isidoro in the northern Spanish city of León.

Will the Ark of the Covenant ever be found?

Whether it was destroyed, captured, or hidden–nobody knows. One of the most famous claims about the Ark's whereabouts is that before the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem, it had found its way to Ethiopia, where it still resides in the town of Aksum, in the St. Mary of Zion cathedral.

Where are the 10 Commandments now?

The Ten Commandments fragment was found in the famous Cave 4 not far from the Qumran ruins in the Judean Desert of the West Bank, where the scrolls had rested, undisturbed and preserved for two millennia, in darkness and dry desert air. After the discovery, all sorts of crazy things happened to the scrolls.

Where are the 10 Commandments located?

The text of the Ten Commandments appears twice in the Hebrew Bible: at Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21.

Does Ethiopia have the Ark of the Covenant?

According to Ethiopian tradition, the Ark of the Covenant is preserved in the ancient holy city of Aksum. For centuries, the great relic was kept in the Church of Mary of Zion, where the emperor Iyasu is recorded as having seen it and spoken to it in 1691.

What happens if you open the Ark of the Covenant?

"Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the Ark of his Covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm." Revelation 11:19.

Who stole the Ark of the Covenant?

According to legend, the ark was brought to Ethiopia in the 10th century BC after being stolen by the staff of Menelik, the son of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of Israel — who deemed the theft was permitted by God because none of his men were killed.

What happened to Solomon's temple?

As has been well-known for millennia, in either 587 or 586 B.C.E., the forces of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylonia, served a deadly blow to the small and rebellious Kingdom of Judah. They wiped it off the map, deported large swathes of its population, and destroyed its holy temple, the Temple of Solomon.

Do the Ten Commandments tablets still exist?

Described as a "national treasure" of Israel, the stone was first uncovered in 1913 during excavations for a railroad station near Yavneh in Israel and is the only intact tablet version of the Commandments thought to exist.

Has Mount Sinai been found?

Experts believe they've finally found one of the holiest sites in the Bible — miles from where it was previously assumed to have existed.

What is bear false witness in the Bible?

“Thou shalt not bear false witness” forbids: “1. Speaking falsely in any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising and designing to deceive our neighbour. 2. Speaking unjustly against our neighbour, to the prejudice of his reputation; and (which involves the guilty of both).

Where is Moses buried?

A purported grave of Moses is located at Maqam El-Nabi Musa, in the West Bank, 11 km (6.8 mi) south of Jericho and 20 km (12 mi) east of Jerusalem. Mount Nebo is then mentioned again in the Bible in 2 Maccabees (2:4–7), when the prophet Jeremiah hid the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant in a cave there.

What language did the Jesus speak?

Most religious scholars and historians agree with Pope Francis that the historical Jesus principally spoke a Galilean dialect of Aramaic. Through trade, invasions and conquest, the Aramaic language had spread far afield by the 7th century B.C., and would become the lingua franca in much of the Middle East.

Where did the Israelites get their gold?

King Solomon's legendary “lost” gold mine, the biblical Ophir that yielded much of the fabulous wealth of the Kingdom of Israel nearly 3,000 years ago, may have been “found” in Saudi Arabia.

Where is Mary Magdalene buried?

Mary Magdalene's life after the Gospel accounts. According to Eastern tradition, she accompanied St. John the Apostle to Ephesus, where she died and was buried.

Where is the cup that Jesus drank from?

The Holy Chalice vessel, or Santo Cáliz, is an agate cup preserved in the Cathedral of Valencia. It is the object most commonly credited as being the actual Holy Grail used by Jesus during the Last Supper. It is preserved in a chapel consecrated to it, where it still attracts the faithful on pilgrimage.

When did the Last Supper take place?

But Jesus chose to hold his Last Supper as a Passover meal according to an earlier Jewish calendar," Prof Humphreys said. The Last Supper was therefore on Wednesday, 1 April AD33, according to the standard Julian calendar used by historians, he concluded.

What is under the Dome of the Rock?

Under the Dome of the Rock, which is known as the Foundation Rock, there is a small cave (which you can see in the photo below) a Mihrab that is believed to be one of the oldest in the world.

Does Solomon's Temple still exist?

No remains from Solomon's Temple have ever been found. The presumption is that it was destroyed completely and buried during the huge project of building the Second Temple, in Herod's time.

Is there a Temple in Jerusalem today?

Today the Temple Mount, a walled compound within the Old City of Jerusalem, is the site of two magnificent structures: the Dome of the Rock to the north and the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the south. In the southwest stands the Western Wall—a remnant of the Second Temple and the holiest site in Judaism.