Saint Stephen of the Ethiopians

Santo Stefano degli Abissini is a small church in the Vatican Gardens, directly behind St Peter's, and is regarded as the oldest surviving church in Vatican City. First mentioned around 800 under Pope Leo III, it later became for centuries the spiritual centre for Ethiopian pilgrims and monks in Rome; Pope Sixtus IV formally entrusted it to the Ethiopian community in 1479. The modest building, 35 metres long, 20 wide and 10 high, today houses the Pontifical Ethiopian College, which still trains priests from Ethiopia and Eritrea. The liturgy is celebrated in the Ethiopian Rite in Ge'ez. Access is only possible on guided tours of the Vatican Gardens, making it one of the Vatican's least accessible sites.