This is really old news, isn't it?

How many Christians know this? Is this generally held as true in the Catholic view of history and the universe?

Encyclopedia: Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion:
The church, in the ancient town of Axum in Tigray Province, claims to possess the original Ark of the Covenant. According to tradition, Menelik I brought it to Ethiopia after visiting his father King Solomon. Only the head priest of the Church may view the Ark, in accordance with the Bible accounts of the dangers of doing so for non-Levites. This lack of accessibility has led foreign scholars to express doubt about the veracity of the claim.