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Lion of Judah monument
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Landmark
Lion of Judah Monument
Gilded bronze lion of 1930 in the square of the old railway station at Legehar
- Area
- Legehar
The Lion of Judah Monument stands in front of the old railway station at Legehar, Addis Ababa. It was made in 1930 and taken to Rome in 1936.
Good for
- Free entry
- Visitors
- Made in 1930 by the French sculptor Georges Gardet
- Gilded bronze on a black granite pedestal
- Taken to Rome in 1936 and returned in the 1960s
- In front of the old railway station at Legehar
The Lion of Judah Monument stands in the square of the old railway station, at the south end of Churchill Avenue. The area is called Legehar.
History
The French sculptor Georges Gardet made the lion in 1930 for the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie. The lion is gilded bronze. It stands on a pedestal of black granite with relief portraits.
After the Italian occupation the lion was taken to Rome in 1936. In 1937 it was put next to the monument to the Battle of Dogali. In 1938 the Eritrean Zerai Deres protested against the occupation in front of the lion. He is remembered as a hero in Eritrea and Ethiopia. The lion came back to Ethiopia in the 1960s, and Emperor Haile Selassie attended the ceremony.
A second lion
A second Lion of Judah statue stands near the National Theatre. The sculptor Maurice Calka made it in 1954 for the emperor. It is a large stone lion in a modern style.
Getting there
The monument is in front of the old station of the railway to Djibouti. Churchill Avenue runs north from here to the National Theatre, the Ethio-Cuba Friendship Park and Piassa.
Good to know
The monument is in a public square and entry is free. Allow 15 minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Lion of Judah Monument?
It stands in the square of the old railway station at Legehar, at the south end of Churchill Avenue.
Who made the Lion of Judah Monument?
The French sculptor Georges Gardet made it in 1930 for the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie.
Is there a second Lion of Judah statue?
Yes. A second statue by Maurice Calka, made in 1954, stands near the National Theatre.
Sources
- Monument to the Lion of Judah, Wikipedia
- Photo: Lion Of Judah (211109819).jpeg by Francisco Anzola, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Monumento del León de Judá, Adís Abeba, Etiopía, 2024-01-19, DD 34.jpg by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Judský lev, Addis Abeba.jpg by Ondřej Žváček, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Lion of Judah Monument Addis Ababa.jpg by Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 pl, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Lion of Judah Monument (11258214883).jpg by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Profile last reviewed November 12, 2026.
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