The city, famous for its Orthodox churches carved into the rock, is located at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level in the northern part of Ethiopia. This is a particularly revered place among the parishioners of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In 1978, Lalibela's temples were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jerusalem in Ethiopia
Christianity appeared on the territory of Ethiopia a very long time ago, and already in 330 it was approved by the state religion. Lalibela was an Ethiopian emperor from the Zagwe dynasty, and ruled from 1181-1221. He was very worried when he learned about the capture of Jerusalem by Muslim troops in 1187.
He built his legendary, sacred city-temple for 23 years. During this time, 11 churches were carved into soft tuff. They were connected to each other by a complex plumbing system, into which water came from artesian wells. This gave reason to assume that the construction was carried out under the guidance of a competent specialist, because the city itself is located very high in the mountains.
Temple Building Myths
There are several legends about the construction of temples. The Orthodox Ethiopians themselves prefer to believe that churches were built by angels at night, sent to help. It has been calculated that to build such a number of buildings in a short period of time, it would take 40,000 hands. Therefore, it was impossible to do without help from above. During the day, the workers were building, and at night the angels worked twice as fast.
There is a legend that the emperor Lalibela dreamed of Jerusalem or had a vision, after which he decided to build a new city on Ethiopian soil.
Another version says that he managed to visit the ancient city even before accession to the throne, and there he was ascended to heaven, where he saw heavenly churches and wanted to create those like them on earth.
Scientists' opinion
Scientists have suggested that the powerful Order of the Templars helped Orthodox Christians in the construction of New Jerusalem. Moreover, in the XIII century this order was very strong. But the theory was rejected, the rationale was the ornaments on the temples, more related to the Coptic culture.
Other researchers are inclined to believe that the temples were built on existing foundations. Lalibela had only to finish building them.
Whatever it was, but the first temples date back 500 years earlier than others. They may have served as military fortifications or palace services in previous reigns.
How were the temples built?
Carved into red tuff, the churches bear traces of various architectural styles. Among the details there are Greek columns and the Aryan swastika, the Star of David, Egyptian arches, Arab windows.
The temples were cut down below the surface of the earth to a depth of 40-50 meters. In some cases, natural caves were used for them, which had to be expanded. They were illuminated by sunlight coming through the cut cross-shaped holes in the walls. We went down to the temples by a staircase cut in the rocks.
Hypotheses differ about the construction process. One of them made holes around a large block of tuff. After the complete separation from the rocks, the stonecutters began to make out for the interior.
Another option assumes that temples were cut down from top to bottom. After the external rough work, the internal, more delicate, finishing works began. The structure of soft stone made it possible to carve all parts of the building: columns, domes, windows, doors.
St. Mary's Church
The most revered Church is named after the Virgin Mary (Bethe Mariam). Its windows are carved in the form of wicker Roman or Greek crosses, as well as an ancient swastika. In the church, icons are traditionally placed on the floor.
It is the only one of all the temples in which there are paintings and gold decoration. They feature the sun and fertility symbols, and the floor tiles are covered with animal figures.
It is customary to visit churches with bare feet, so they take off their shoes at the entrance.
Church of the Savior of the World
It is considered the largest of the built churches. It is believed to be a copy of the Church of St. Mary of Zion in Aksum. There are unique interior and exterior decorations.
The walls are decorated with images of the apostles. The gold cross that belonged to King Lalibela is still kept inside. Underground passages connect the temple with Beta Maryam, Bethe Golgotha, Selassie chapel and the tomb of Adam.
Church of Saint Lebanos
According to the surviving legend, this temple was built by the wife of Lalibela in 1212 after his death. The ceiling and floor of the temple rest against the rock, and one of the altar walls emits a glow.
Temple of Saint George
When the emperor was finishing the construction of the temple complex, Saint George the Victorious came to him. In commemoration of this event, Lalibela decided that he would dedicate a beautiful church in the shape of a cross to him.
It is located at the bottom of a deep well measuring 25x25 m and is illuminated by the sun only at noon. During the construction, not a single column was cut down, although the dimensions of the cruciform base 12x12 m are impressive. Its height also corresponds to 12 m. The roof of the building is decorated with a carved cross.
Temple of Calvary
The beautifully decorated temple is believed to contain the tomb of the Ethiopian emperor.
Like many centuries ago, Ethiopian Christians go to Lalibela to worship Christ. This complex is recognized as unique; crowds of tourists come to see it. It is called "the eighth wonder of the world", which really amazes with its size and method of construction. Monolithic temples are recognized by the whole world as a miracle of engineering.
Zhanna Lyubarskaya
