Debre Werk’, Ethiopia
ደብረ ወርቅ
Debre Werk’ is a town of 10,579 people in Amhara, Ethiopia.
Weather in Debre Werk’
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About Debre Werk’
Debre Werq (Amharic: ደብረ ወርቅ) is a small town in western Ethiopia. Located in the East Gojjam of the Amhara Region, it has a latitude and longitude of 6°52′N 35°31′E with an elevation of 2489 meters above sea level. The settlement is known for its church and a hilltop monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary, around which the community grew. It is the larger of two towns in Enarj Enawga woreda.
From the Wikipedia article Debre Werq (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship2
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC)
Church · Ethiopian Orthodox · 1.8 km
24/7
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) - Debre Work Mariam Monastery
Place of worship
24/7
History
An early mention of Debre Werq is during the reign of 1559 when, according to explorer Richard Francis Burton, the emperor Mar Gelawdewos had been supervising its restoration. Around 1620, the Tulema Oromo were said to have devastated Gojjam as far as Debre Werq. Its next mention is in 1684, in an itinerary of Emperor Iyasu I. Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia met with Ras Ali II here in the mid-19th century, describing the town as sitting on a round hill with the church at its summit; the town encircling the church almost extended down to the base of the hill. A debtera, who was head of the church, also appeared to be the civil head of the town. Charles Beke, who visited Debre Werq 25 April 1842, described the town was not only located "on a conical eminence", located the hill at "the fork of two small streams Tazza and Zinjut." (Both of these streams are tributaries of the Chee.)
Paul B. Henze describes visiting the church at Debre Werq in the early 1970s, an event which included finding the church being rebuilt from the foundations, and an unpleasant encounter with a monk over wanting to view the church's collection of manuscripts.
From the History section of Debre Werq on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map of Debre Werk’
2 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Debre Markos Airfield (DBM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 60 km away.
- Mertule Maryam 22 km northeast, about 22 min by car
- Bichena 24 km south, about 24 min by car
- Lumamē 53 km southwest, about 53 min by car
- Mot’a 57 km northwest, about 57 min by car
- Dejen 56 km south, about 56 min by car
- Debre Mark’os 59 km southwest, about 59 min by car
- Wegeda 65 km north, about 1 h by car
- Dembech’a 76 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Dayē 88 km south, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.