ETHIOPIA: St George Church Lalibela
The town of Lalibela, in northern Ethiopia, is a sacred place of pilgrimage
for adherents of the Ethiopian Orthodox faith, one of the oldest branches of
Christendom. The construction of its famous cave churches is attributed to
King Lalibela (1181-1221), of the Zagwe dynasty, who dreamt of creating a
`New Jerusalem` following the capture of the Holy City by Muslim jihadists,
in 1187. Lalibela remained the capital of Ethiopia into the 13th century
when the churches were hewn out of the volcanic rock. Some lie almost
hidden, in deep trenches; others stand in open quarries, linked by passages
to caves, once occupied by medieval hermits. All eleven churches are
monolithic structures. Many feature frescoes of biblical scenes painted on
the ceilings and pillars. The beautiful cruciform-shaped Bete Giorgis
pictured displays murals of St George slaying the dragon. Bete Medhane Alem,
the northern group of churches, is home of the famous `Lalibela Cross` cut
in the sloping hillside. Many local landmarks have biblical names; the
town's river for instance, is known as the river Jordan. The Easter service
in one of Lalibela`s churches, unchanged in 800 years, is a climatic
celebration following the 56-day Lenten fast observed by devout Ethiopian
Christians. The celebrated rock churches were inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 1978.