In the mountains of Ethiopia, 645km from Addis Ababa, lie eleven medieval stone churches, entirely hewn by hand and chisel from volcanic rocks. Their collective proposed name was “New Jerusalem,” or as is known in contemporary times, “The Lalibela Churches,’ a King’s attempt to build a new holy land for Christian pilgrimage.
Yet their true scale and ingenuity remain hidden until you stand among them. Unlike traditional buildings, the Lalibela churches were not built above the landscape, instead, they were carved deep into the earth.
The History And Structure Of The Rock Hewn Churches
In the 12th century, muslim conquest put an abrupt pause to Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Then rose King Mesqel Lalibela of Ethiopia who set out to create a “New Jerusalem” — a place where Christian cultural identity could be celebrated altruistically. Eleven monolithic edifices were carved out over the space of twenty-four years, constructed with such architectural preciseness and artistic finery that has attracted visitors from all over the world. While scientists attribute the form, orientation and placement of the churches to the men who carved them and the geological features around them, King Lalibela’s biography attributes them to divine help.
Divine intervention or man made, the Lalibela churches are located at the base of Mount Abuna Yosef, approximately 2,630m above sea level. The churches are arranged in such a way that they are named and grouped into two, five in the Northern hemisphere and five in the Southern hemisphere, while the last sits separately, divided by the River Jordan.
In the Northern hemisphere, we have: Biete Golgotha Mikael, Biete Mariam, Biete Denagel, Biete Maskal, and Biete Medhani Alem. In the South, we have: Biete Lehem, Biete Gabriel Rafael, Biete Abba Libanos, Biete Amanuel, and Biete Qeddus Mercoreus. Biete Ghiorgis, on the other hand, sits separately to the west of the southern group.
Intricate ecclesiastical structures support the structure of the Lalibela churches, including narrow pathways that link the churches, catacombs, tombs and storerooms.
The Zagwe Dynasty
To understand why these churches exist, we cannot do away with the story of the dynasty that built them.
In northeastern Africa, approximately between 100 CE and 940 CE, there existed the Aksum Kingdom, a trading power strategically located along the Red Sea, a location that gave it control over key trade routes between Africa, the Mediterranean and Asian worlds. Over this period, the kingdom grew to have such economic and political influence that it encompassed parts of what is now known as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia.
During the 4th century, the Aksum kingdom adopted Christianity as its religion, strengthening its political ties with the Byzantine Empire. However, in the 7th and 8th centuries, Arab expansion disrupted Aksum’s major economic source — the Red Sea trade routes, heralding the decline of the kingdom. By the middle of the 12th - 13th century, Aksumite power had shifted internally to a people called the Agau, shaping what eventually came to be known as the Zagwe dynasty.
As with most historical stories, different accounts tell competing stories. Ethiopian tradition credits a ruler named Mara Takla Haymanot as the king and founder of the Zagwe line in 1137. Other accounts attribute it to Queen Gudit whose campaign reportedly brought about the downfall of Aksum kingdom. While the exact chronological events are contested, accounts testify to the same result: the Zagwe kings ruled a Christian state for more than a century and their lineage eventually gave life to our hero in this instance, King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela.
King Lalibela ruled roughly from 1181 to 1221. The story of his birth is similar to several others often told about important figures. According to tales, a swarm of bees settled around him as an infant. His mother, recognising this as a sign of a coming reign, gave him a name that symbolised sovereignty.
A New Jerusalem
In 1187, during King Lalibela’s rule, Saladin Yusuf, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, captured Jerusalem. For Christians, this meant that the route to the holy site of faith was impossible to traverse. In response, King Lalibela had what could somewhat be called a brilliant idea, he decided to bring Jerusalem home if it could no longer be reached.
That birthed the idea behind the Lalibela churches. The church itself and its surrounding features borrowed biblical names in an attempt to recreate the geography of Jerusalem in stone and water. For instance, the stream that ran through the site was named Yordannos after the River Jordan. King Lalibela’s idea produced the eleven Lalibela churches and later generations added and altered them as time went on. As of date, the largest of these churches, the Bete Medhane Alem, is the biggest monolithic church in the world.
King Lalibela became so popular for the construction of the eleven churches that Roha, the site of the churches, was eventually renamed after him. By tradition, Lalibela abdicated the throne to live as a hermit but is said to be buried within the complex at Bete Golgotha.
The Zagwe Dynasty did not outlast him by much. In 1270, the last Zagwe king was conquered by Yekuno Amlak, who restored the Solomonic line. Power moved on. The churches stayed, and they kept their congregations. Even through wars, an Italian occupation in the twentieth century, and the long churn of Ethiopian politics, service never stopped. The lineage of faith at Lalibela has run unbroken in a way the lineage of kings did not.
Exploring the Lalibela Churches
Lalibela sits at about 2,500 metres, in a country that turns green and muddy in the rains. The eleven churches are grouped on either side of the Yordannos channel, a northwestern cluster and a southeastern one, linked by a warren of ceremonial passages and trenches cut straight through the rock. A visitor moves between them partly underground, out of the sun, the basalt close on both sides.
Unlike other construction buildings raised from the ground towards the sky, the churches were carved top-down from volcanic basalt using axes, blades and chisels. The perimeter of the structures were first traced on the rock face and then isolated from surrounding rock. To prevent flooding from rainfall and underground water bodies, drainage canals and trenches were added to the structures while hydraulic systems were built to fill water cisterns and baptismal pools.
The northern group holds Bete Medhane Alem, the world’s largest rock-hewn church, alongside Bete Maryam, where a pillar is said to record the secrets of the construction. It stays wrapped in cloth, and only priests are permitted to read it. Nearby, Bete Golgota is closed to women and holds life-size carved figures of saints, along with the tomb attributed to King Lalibela himself.
Then there is Bete Giyorgis, the Church of St. George, standing alone to the west. It is widely held to be the last of the eleven built, and it is the one most photographers chase. Cut as a Greek cross about twelve metres deep, sitting in its own square pit, it has earned the loose title of an eighth wonder. While the claim is a tourism slogan, the engineering behind it is not.
In shape, the churches are either square or rectangular in form, having either basilical or cruciform plans. Its doors follow traditional Orthodox customs, positioned on three of the four sides of each building — north, west and south. These doors are known to feature different structural ornaments including sculpted Aksumites, arches, cruciforms and steleforms.
To get within its walls, worshippers and visitors have to utilise carved stone steps and pedestals equally hewn from the rock’s surface. Upon entering, visitors will find themselves walking on roughly hewn rug-covered floors that rise and fall in height, delineating different sacred zones. Overall, the structures feature bracketed pillars that support flat ceilings, barrel vaults, semi circular arches, human figurines and biblical paintings.
Particularly striking features of the Lalibela churches are the structural ornaments that adorn its windows and doors, including steleform, ogival, cruciform, and Aksumite. Some have attributed the presence of the Aksumite forms to an effort to legitimize the rule of the Zagwe dynasty kings by linking the era of the reigning kings to the formerly powerful empire. For instance, the Biete Amanuel features architecture that explicitly copies the Aksumite empire’s known building technique of layering horizontal beams with mortar and stones. Similarly, its windows and doors are framed by wooden beam heads characteristically attributed to Aksumite buildings.
In 1978, UNESCO inscribed the rock-hewn churches on its first World Heritage. The volcanic rock is soft, and water is its enemy; weathering and erosion threaten the structures constantly. In 2008, lightweight protective canopies went up over several churches. They keep the rain off but divide opinion, because the scaffolding sits awkwardly against an ancient skyline.
To date, while many impressive church edifices have been constructed in Ethiopia (almost 200), these rock hewn churches have remained the country’s most famous, attracting tourists from all over the world.
Visiting Lalibela
Nearest Airport
Lalibela sits approximately 55 minutes away from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city. The town is a stop on the country's vast historic route which means flights connect it from and to other historical sites such as Bahir Dar, Gondar and Aksum. Upon getting into Lalibela, a short drive brings you to the churches.
Entry & Open Hours
The churches open from about 6:00 am - 12:00 pm and 14:00 pm - 17:00 pm daily. The entrance of the churches begin in the northern hemisphere where we have Biete Golgotha Mikael, Biete Mariam, Biete Denagel, Biete Maskal, and Biete Medhani Alem. It also houses a ticket office where you can buy a ticket for approximately $50. A single ticket equals a five-day pass to the entire church complex. Certified guides also wait at the entrance and are absolutely worth paying for. Their familiarity with the layout of tunnels and the history of the place offers you a deeper insight into the churches. Note that the churches are still active places of worship, hence, services can begin during the weekends as early as four o’clock. Inside and around the churches, you will find worshippers draped in white and incense thick in the air. On Saturdays and
Where to Stay and Eat
Lalibela town itself is home to several hotels and guesthouses including Alef Paradise, Hilltop Lodge, Zan-Seyoum Hotel, Hal Hotel, Amba Lodge, and Top Twelve Hotel, among others. Most of these hotels offer beautiful architectural design, astounding views and modern facilities. Some also offer garden settings, free private parking, shared lounges, terraces, bars, free WiFi etc.
For food, you may just hike around town to visit popular spots such as Ben Abeba if you want a unique experience with Scottish and Ethiopian blended menu as well as a beautiful view of nature, Unique Restaurant if you're looking for tasty and affordable local and international food, Torpedo House if you want local music, beer and tasty dishes, and the long-established Seven Olives if you’re just looking for a serene dining area and good food.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Lalibela is during the dry season, October through March. During this period, visitors enjoy clear blue skies and minimal rainfall. The season also makes it easy to travel through the steep and uneven paths between the churches. However, if you’re specifically looking for high activity periods, you may want to consider January — Genna, Ethiopian Christmas and Timkat, the celebration of Epiphany both fall on the 7th and 19th of January, respectively. These activities draw thousands of pilgrims, filling the trenches with chants and processions.
Cultural Considerations to Keep in Mind When Visiting
Like the royal tombs at Kasubi, Uganda, the Lalibela churches sit on religious ground and therefore asks for the manners of one. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered. Like the pilgrims you will meet there, shoes must come off before you enter the churches.
Certain areas of the site are closed to particular visitors by tradition. For instance, at Bete Golgota women are not permitted to enter. Similarly, photography is permitted in certain areas and restricted in others. So, ensure you ask before using a camera, especially near worshippers or sacred objects. The priests are the custodians of the churches, hence, follow their leadings as well as those of any guide you may have obtained.
The first European to describe Lalibela in detail was a Portuguese priest, Francisco Álvares, who reached the Ethiopian court in 1520. He set down what he saw and then stopped himself, writing that he feared no one back home would believe him, and swearing that every word was true. He was right to worry. For centuries afterward, outsiders looked at the churches and reached for explanations that took the credit away from Ethiopia, crediting foreign hands or lost builders. It was the same reflex that long refused to grant the granite walls of Great Zimbabwe to the Africans who raised them, and the very same that overlooked how Stone Town traded across the Indian Ocean before Europe paid it any notice.
