In case you didn’t know, Lalibela is a town in the Lasta Amhara Region of Ethiopia famous for its 11 rock-cut monolithic churches. It’s one of the holiest cities in the country, and a center of pilgrimage. Ethiopia of course was one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity, so this world heritage site is not out of place. The churches themselves date from the 7th to the 13th century, and have been recognized as Unesco world heritage sites since 1978.
The churches, carved from the “living rock” of the earth are thought to have been built by King Lalibela, who aimed to create a ‘New Jerusalem’ after Muslim conquests prevented Christian pilgrimages to the holy land, although the exact date of their construction is not known. The churches can be found on the north and south side of the river Jordan, and all of them are considered by be a unique artistic achievement.
The construction of the churches is truly a marvelous feat, as each were chiselled out of the stone, including the doors, windows, columns, floors, roofs and other parts of the building. Not only does that represent an incredible engineering dream that would have taken a long time to accomplish, but they are all connected to water through a series of drainage ditches, trenches and ceremonial passages. Most of the buildings also have wells next to them that are filled by this system.
The largest of the churches is Biete Medhani Alem (House of the Saviour of the World) on the north side, which is believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world. Each of the buildings are believed to have been used as churches at one time or another, but two of them, Biete Mercoreos (House of St. Mercoreos) and Biete Gabriel Rafael (House of Gabriel Raphael) on the south side of the Jordan, are thought to have been royal residences.
While it is still possible to visit the churches, some of them have started to deteriorate due to water damage and seismic activity. Some of them have serious structural problems as well, and could collapse at any time. The paintings inside the churches have degraded as well, and the sculptures and bas-reliefs have been seriously damaged. This of course means that not everything is able to be visited by tourists.
The rock-hewn churches Of Lalibela are truly a sight to behold, and should accompany any trip to Ethiopia. Cana Creative Travel and Tours offers many packages to the area, including The Historical Route Highlights tour of Ethiopia, which features a day of exploring Lalibela.