Over the centuries, Gebre Mesqel Lalibela the king of Zagwe dynasty, Ethiopia wished to make Jerusalem his native city. Very soon he implemented his thought to build churches and that too in a peculiar way. As a result, now we are witnessing the architectural marvels which dates back to thousands of years ago.
One of the finest archaeological destinations of the world ‘Lalibela‘ a remote region of Ethiopia marks its own signature on the pages of the world history with its amazing eleven ancient churches and two chapels. A trip to this locale will take you to get in touch with the unique rock-cut architectures and age-old legends of Ethiopian people and especially the architecture of ‘Beta Gyorgis’ awestruck you.
Lalibela church Ethiopia
Ethiopia, an ancient country of Africa is lauded for its ancient Lalibela rock-hewn churches which were carved on the soft volcanic rocks. The diverse architectures of each church made them stand alone in the archaeological world. Some of them were carved under the earth and a few stand over the surface.
Beta Gyorgis aka Saint George church captivates the visitors with its magnificent monolithic church carved in the shape of the cross and it was devoted to the Saint George. According to a legend, when the Saint George visited this church, the architecture and rock cut carvings enthralled him and later he rode his horse near the church and still we can see the foot mark of the horse. The architecture of the church fascinates with its beautifully adorned windows like cross symbols, swastiks, etc. To reach this church one has to descend the rock steps which are slippery. One can see the graves of popular monks, saints in the round caves and chambers over the walls of the rocks in the courtyard. The special rituals and dances on the premises of the church take the visitors into the spiritual mode.
If we come to the architectures of eleven churches, most of the churches are interconnected with each other through the rock tunnels and passages. Folks of Ethiopia believe that the churches are erected with the help of the angels. These ancient churches are listed on the UNESCO heritage site in the year 1978, which throb zillions of tourists during the holy celebrations like Christmas, etc. Words may fall short to describe the beauty of this World, one must have to pay a visit to cherish the ancient architectures.
When you were on this tour to this locale never give a miss to know the interesting legends about them and write us your memorable experiences here.