Amidst the high plateaux, far from any foreign influence, cut off from other Christian religions by the spread of Islam, the Ethiopian church remains immutable. It is a living church, which lends rhythm to life in the countryside and attracts large congregations every Sunday.
This isolation has contributed to the preservation of an original heritage practically unknown in the West. For the first time a team of researchers, led by Jacques Mercier, was granted access by the highest religious authorities in the country to every church in the region to carry out a thorough inventory of the Church's religious and artistic heritage. With backing from the European Commission, this expedition ran from March 1997 to January 1998. The Scent of Incense is the log of a unique exploration.