Lalibela, a city in northern Ethiopia, is known for its UNESCO World Heritage Site cave churches. Built as a New Jerusalem after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, Lalibela’s natural and man-made features are named after Jerusalem’s features. The city was designed as a fortress to provide security for its citizens. Lalibela was once the secular capital of Ethiopia and is still an important holy city for Ethiopian Christians. The rock-hewn churches are divided into four groups, with the northern group being the most famous. There is doubt as to whether the churches were entirely carved during Lalibela’s reign.
Lalibela is a city in northern Ethiopia. The city is mainly known for the wonderful cave churches. The cave churches of Lalibela have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.
When Jerusalem was conquered by Muslims in the 12th century, Ethiopian Christians built Lalibela as a sort of New Jerusalem. The construction was supervised by King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela. The latter part of his name, which gave the city its name, comes from a story that at his birth he was surrounded by a swarm of bees, an omen that he would one day become the emperor of Ethiopia.
Because of its role as New Jerusalem, many of Lailibela’s natural and man-made features are named after features of Jerusalem itself. The river that flows through the city is the Jordan River and some buildings have names that refer to the buildings in Jerusalem.
Like Aksum, Lalibela is a city designed around the idea of a fortress. Battling the Muslims, and growing increasingly fearful of an Islamic incursion, Ethiopian rulers became increasingly fixated on providing security for their citizens and creating impenetrable cities.
For more than a century, Lalibela was the secular capital of Ethiopia, but for many years after its secular decline, it continued to be a deeply important holy city for Ethiopian Christians. Even today it is second only to Aksum in terms of importance to devotees. Despite this, the city has declined significantly in population, from once a thriving metropolis, to now being a rather sleepy village of fewer than 15,000 people.
The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are truly a sight to behold, and are both stunningly beautiful and incredibly demonstrative of the isolationist stance Ethiopian Christians have held for so many years, surrounded as they were by hostile neighbours. There are twelve churches in all, divided into four distinct groups, each with its own peculiarities.
The northern group of Lalibela rock churches is undoubtedly the most famous. It contains the Bete Medhane Alem, which contains the Lalibela Cross, and is the largest monolithic church in the world. It also contains Adam’s Tomb and Selassie Chapel, Bete Maryam which is the oldest church in the group, and Bete Golgotha.
The eastern group of Lalibela rock churches contains the Bete Amanuel, a bakery, the former palace of Bete Gabriel-Rufael, Bete Abba Libanos and Bete Merkorios. The western group of Lalibela rock churches is known for Bete Giyorgis, which is the church that has stood the best over the years.
There is some doubt as to whether the Rock-Hewn Churches were actually carved entirely during or after Lalibela’s reign, or whether some were started much earlier. There is evidence to suggest that some of the churches were originally carved out as fortified buildings hundreds of years before being converted into churches.
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