Skip links

Skip to Content
play

Live

Navigation menu

  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Ukraine war
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
    • Coronavirus
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Sport
    • Podcasts
play

Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Arts and Culture

Pilgrimage to Ethiopia’s 12th-century iconic churches

The World Heritage site draws visitors and pilgrims with its monolithic churches carved into the ground.

Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Lalibela's churches are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, They are located amid a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings called tukuls, where the people share their huts with their livestock at night. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
By Jenna Belhumeur
Published On 5 Jul 20175 Jul 2017
facebooktwitterwhatsapp

The 11 medieval churches hewn from solid, volcanic rock in the heart of Ethiopia were built on the orders of King Lalibela in the 12th century. Lalibela set out to construct a “New Jerusalem” in Africa after Muslims conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Legend has it that the design and layout of the churches mimic those observed by the king in Jerusalem, which he had visited as a youth. Many place names across the town are also said to originate from the king’s memories of the Biblical city.

The churches were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978.

The blocks were chiselled down, forming doors, windows, columns, various floors, trenches and ceremonial passages – some with openings to hermit caves and catacombs. Seven of the churches are organically embedded in the rock, while four are self-standing. The sacred site is a place of pilgrimage for those in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It is said the churches were built in only 24 years.

Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
There are two main clusters of churches, one to the north and one to the south of the river Jordan. The 11th church is isolated from the others, but connected by a system of trenches. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Advertisement
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Legend says when King Lalibela had completed his churches, St George galloped up on a white steed. He was furious with the king for not dedicating a church to him, and the king ordered one more to be built in honour of Ethiopia’s patron saint. The horse left hoof prints on the passage leading to Biete Ghiorgis. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Portuguese priest Francisco Alvares visited the churches in 1521 and labelled them a wonder of the world. He wrote in his journal, 'I weary of writing more about these buildings, because it seems to me that I shall not be believed.' [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
The original function of the site as a pilgrimage place still persists, with the faithful sometimes walking for days or weeks to make their way here. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Prior to a church service, a priest swings a censer of frankincense, sending clouds sweet-scented smoke through the air. Lalibela’s churches have been in continuous use since their construction in the 12th century. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
A priest and pilgrims converse within a church compound. An estimated 40,000 workers were used in the construction of the churches. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Advertisement
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Biete Medhani Alem is believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world. The churches were not constructed in a traditional way, but rather built from the top down. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Nuns pick rock and debris from piles of grain which will then be used to bake the holy bread. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
A priest sits outside Biete Abba Libanos reading a liturgy book written in Ge'ez, the ancient language of scripture in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Each church has a resident priest, a highly regarded position. This priest shows off the ancient manuscripts still in immaculate condition that are stored inside. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
This drawing is over 800 years old. It depicts the story of Saint George slaying the dragon alongside an image of the Virgin Mary. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]
Medieval Churches/ Please DO Not Use
Countless holes and cavities in the walls are used by hermits for sleep during festivals. Some have also been used as tombs. [Jenna Belhumeur/Al Jazeera]

Related

  • The walled city of Harar in east­ern Ethiopia

    The colour­ful, maze-like al­leys with­in the Mec­ca of Africa re­main alive and busy dur­ing the holy month of Ra­madan.

    camera
    Published On 25 Jun 201725 Jun 2017
    The walled city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia.
  • Faces of women with tra­choma

    Doc­tors in Ethiopia walk from vil­lage to vil­lage to help erad­i­cate eye dis­ease that can lead to per­ma­nent blind­ness.

    camera
    Published On 23 Mar 201523 Mar 2015
    DO NOT USE-RESTRICTED

More from Gallery

  • Photos: Turkey’s capital hit by suicide blast

    Turkish security forces cordon off an area after the explosion in Ankara on Sunday. [Ali Unal/AP Photo]
  • Photos: Flash flooding inundates New York City

    A man rides a motorcycle through flooded streets in the Hole, one of the lowest neighbourhoods in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on September 29, 2023 [Bing Guan/Reuters]
  • Photos: In Brazil’s Amazon, drought affects access to food and water

    Boat pilot Paulo Monteiro da Cruz paddles through a blanket of dead fish atop Piranha Lake in Manacapuru, Brazil, as drought conditions continue. [Bruno Kelly/Reuters]
  • Photos: Second day of funerals for Iraqi wedding fire victims

    Mourners carry coffins of fire victims. [Hadi Mizban/AP Photo]

Most Read

  • Kurdish group PKK claims responsibility for Ankara suicide bombing: Report

    Turkish security forces cordon off an area after the explosion in Ankara on Sunday. [Ali Unal/AP Photo]
  • Afghanistan embassy closes in India citing lack of diplomatic support

    A cyclist pedals past the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi [Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]
  • Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 585

    Intense battles continue in eastern Ukraine. The inscription on the missile being loaded reads: 'For friend Mykolaiv Levis. Glory to Ukraine' [Oleksandr Ratushniak/Reuters]
  • Pro-Russia party wins Slovakia’s parliamentary elections

    Robert Fico, SMER-SSD party leader and a former prime minister, celebrates his party's victory in Slovakia's general elections [Tomas Benedikovic/AFP]

    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Apps
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network