In the high mountains of Northern Ethiopia, North of Addis Ababa in the Amhara Region in a small town called Lalibela, lie eleven churches cut out of rock attributed to King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela (.1181- 1221) of the Zagwe dynasty who prompted their creation. The churches were curved to demonstrate strong continuity between the civilization of ancient Aksum and medieval Ethiopia. The churches are accessible to all Ethiopians for daily worship and celebrate special holidays like Christmas and Easter. It’s believed to be the holiest place in Ethiopia and believe it's where God can be found because King Lalibela was able to complete the churches within his quarter-century rule with the help of angels.
The churches are carved inside and out of soft volcanic rock using chisels and axes and are connected by long underground tunnels, passages and trenches, while some are isolated blocks in deep pits and others were cut into the face of the cliff. One of the churches known as Biet Gyorgis (The House of Saint George) is isolated which is divided by the river Jordan while the others are divided into two groups. The Northern group with five churches which are Biete Golgotha Mikael, Biete Mariam, Biete Denagel, Biete Maskal and Biete Medhani Alem. The southern group also consists of five churches Biete Amanuel, Biete Qeddus Mercoreus, Biete Abba Libanos, Biete Lehem and Biete Gabriel- Rafael.
The rock-hewn churches are square and rectangular and follow the Orthodox custom of placing a door at all four facades of the structure with multiple typologies on the doorways and window frames.
The Lalibela complex is known as “New Jerusalem” because in King Lalibela reign the Muslim Saladin captured Jerusalem which made the Ethiopians reluctant to make a traditional religious journey to the Palestinian Holy Land hence creating the churches to carry on their pilgrimages up to today.
Reference;
Fauvelle- Aymar, F., Bruxelles, L., Mensan, R. and Bosc-Tiesse, C., 2010. Rock-cut stratigraphy: Sequencing the Lalibela Churches. [ebook] Johannesburg, South Africa: the University of the Witwatersrand, pp.1135- 1146. Available at: <http://https//www.researchgate.net/publication/256455107> [Accessed 19 October 2021].
Negussie, D., 2010. Conserving the Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela as a World Heritage Site: a case for international support and local participation. Dublin, Ireland: ICOMOS Scientific Symposium, pp.1-6.
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