Born towards the a refreshing and you can pious family out of a frontier province from the Christian Ethiopian kingdom, she was partnered to the son of your emperor’s own priest (priests is hitched regarding Ethiopian Orthodox Tawa??do Chapel). An effective woman, she provided beginning in order to 9 sons as well as 2 girl.
Brand new switching point in the girl lifetime arose about temptations from classification, probably whenever she involved 40 years dated. Which have end up being mad that have a good maidservant, most likely a servant, she push a beneficial firebrand down their mouth. In the event the maidservant passed away, a great horrified Kr?stos Samra guaranteed Goodness one she’d invest the girl lives so you can your would be to the guy resurrect the fresh new maidservant. As he performed, Kr?stos 
Samra punctually remaining to own Dabra Libanos, Ethiopia’s most well-known monastic area, to become an excellent nun.
She took the woman youngest man with her, nevertheless when she turned up she are told you to no people were anticipate for the nunnerymitted to help you fulfilling the lady pledge, she abandoned the kid on the side of highway (fortunately, some other nun spared your and you can, disobeying an identical rule, raised your)
As well as typical, Kr?stos Samra spent two years since a newbie just before to be a good nun, and the text provides very important historical and spiritual information about Ethiopian monasticism during this time. She upcoming remaining to own Lake ?ana, an area known for the many monasteries having loyal ascetic monks and you may nuns, to call home the life span away from an effective hermit (Ethiopian monasticism keeps one another cenobitic [communal] and you can eremitic [individual] forms). As the girl earliest remarkable work, she invested 12 years praying days 24 hours about oceans of lake, an act prominent certainly devout Ethiopians. Residing in solitude, she went around the river, being at popular monasteries eg Narga S?llase and you will ?ana Qirqos. During this time, she got of several visions, where she spoke to your angels and you may saints too given that Christ with his mommy.
Kr?stos Samra, because the featured in her autobiography Gadla Kr?stos Samra, wasn’t good meek and virginal holy girl, however, a woman strong in all respects off existence
Then biblical patriarchs stumbled on the girl for the a dream and you can told her to repay in the G?angut, together with on Lake ?ana, for they shared with her that the globe carry out been here to prostrate on their own from the the lady base. Very she gave up the life span out-of a good hermit and you will created an effective monastery, though residing in society is actually something she, and other Ethiopian saints, noticed much more tough than simply becoming an excellent hermit. An excellent monk called Y?s?aq helped the lady because they build a church, knowledge women beginners, and you can celebrating the fresh new liturgy. Afterwards she withdrew once more towards the solitude, reputation within the a pit for three age plus in this new river for the next three-years. When death try close, she informed an effective scribe named Fil???os the woman life story and 30 out of her visions. Later on during the monastery regarding Dabra Libanos he wrote both down, tape this lady visions in a stunning and you may lively very first-individual account. She are buried from the G?angut, in which the lady monastery was today.
Her visions commonly shown within the Gadla Kr?stos Samra when you look at the conceptual strange language but are a bit real, and additionally clear stories in the repentant magicians, fragments from consecrated dough you to definitely fly, abjecting your body of the sucking Christ’s injuries, and appointment Satan in his guise due to the fact head of church. In a single, she needs you to definitely Christ forgive all damned immediately after which excursion in order to hell in order to beg that have Satan to simply accept Christ’s pardon thus one to individuals won’t suffer employing enmity (pick Appendix 2 to have an enthusiastic English interpretation regarding the section).