This is a list of the abunas of Ethiopia, the spiritual heads of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The Abuna is known officially as Patriarch and Catholicos of Ethiopia, Archbishop of Axum and Ichege of the See of Saint Taklehaimanot. Mathias acceded to this position on 28 February 2013. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, and it was granted autocephaly by Cyril VI, Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, in 1959. Bishops of Axum Abune Selama I Kesatay Birhan (St. Frumentius) ( 305 – mid 4th century) Minas or Elyas Abreham (late 4th century – early 5th century) Petros Abba Afse (late 5th century – early 6th century) Qozmos ( early 6th century) Euprepius ( early 6th century) vacant ( 537–562) Metropolitan Archbishops of Axum and of All Ethiopia Qerellos (620s – mid 7th century) unknown Yohannes ( 820–840) Yaqob I ( mid 9th century) Salama Za-'Azeb ( 9th century) Bartalomewos ( 10th century) Peter (920s), opposed by Minas and Fiqtor vacant ( 940–970s) Daniel ( late 10th century) Fiqtor ( 11th century) 'Abdun, claimant Sawiros (1077–1092) Giyorgis I ( 1090s) Mikael I ( early–mid 12th century) Yaqob II Gabra Krestos Atnatewos ( late 12th century) Mikael II (1206–1209), opposed by Hirun Yeshaq ( 1209–1225) Giyorgis II ( 1225) Saint Tekle Haymanot ( 13th century), according to tradition Yohannes (XIII?) ( 14th century) Yaqob (III?) ( 1337–1344) vacant (1344–1348) Salama II (1348–1388) vacant (1388-1398/9) Bartalomewos (1398/9–1436) Mikael and Gabriel (1438–1458) vacant (1458–1481) Yeshaq (1481– 1520) Marqos (VI?) (1481– 1530) João Bermudes ( 1536– 1545), self-proclaimed Ethiopian Orthodox Abuna, and Catholic Patriarch of Ethiopia and Alexandria Endyras ( 1545–?) Andrés de Oviedo (1557–1577), Catholic bishop Marqos (VII?) ( 1565) Krestodolos I ( 1590) Petros (VI?) (1599?–1607), killed in battle Simon (1608–1617), died 1624 Afonso Mendes (1622–1632), Catholic Patriarch, supported by Susenyos I and deposed by Fasilides vacant (1632–1633) Rezek ( 1634) Marqos (VIII?) ( 1635–1672), deposed with Krestodolos Krestodolos II ( 1640–1672), deposed with Marqos Sinoda (1672–1687) vacant (1687–1689) Marqos (IX ?) (1689–late 17th century) Abba Mikael (1640–1699) Marqos X (1694–1716) vacant (1716–1718) Krestodolos III ( 1718–1745) vacant (1745– 1747) Yohannes XIV ( 1747–1770) Yosab III (1770–1803) vacant (1803– 1808) Makarios ( 1808) vacant ( 1808–1816) Qerellos III (1816–1829) vacant (1829–1841) Salama III (1841–1867) vacant (1867–1868) Atnatewos II (1868–1876), died of wounds received at the Battle of Gura Petros VII (1876–1889), died 1918 Mattheos X