Ethiopia’s ‘New Jerusalem’

Church of St. George, Lalibela, Ethiopia, Africa

It’s been said that the sight of Lalibela’s rock-hewn churches are enough to disorient the senses. Like no other place on earth the home to some of the most awe inspiring structures on the African continent, a total of eleven, nearly 900-year old churches have been carved from solid rock, set amid a magnificent mountainous backdrop. Here, it’s not difficult to believe that myth and reality have somehow merged. Most visitors to this community say that historical fact is often difficult to extract from the jumble of legends and remembered half truth’s .  

According to local legend future King, Zagwe Lalibela (1189 to 1229), while in a three day coma after being poisoned by his brother (who was King at the time), was instructed by God to build a New Jerusalem in the rugged mountains of northern Ethiopia in response to the recent capture of old Jerusalem, capital of Israel, by Muslims in 1187.  To achieve the monumental task of engineering and construction, King Lalibela allegedly enlisted the help of a legion of angels to assist in building the churches each night.

Each of the 11 structures are carved out of volcanic rock, and have been constructed in a variety of styles inside and out. Some of them were chiseled into the face of the rock, while others stand as isolated blocks, like the iconic church of Saint George (depicted above), constructed in the shape of a cross. The churches remain in use today and have a complex and extensive system of tunnels, drainage ditches, and subterranean passageways connecting to each other. While some say these structures make the wise old saying “they don’t build them like they used to”, have real or significant meaning; others say these carvings are the actual source of the adage.

Interestingly, many features of the community have Biblical names; the town’s river is known as the “River Jordan” and there’s even graves identified as those of “Adam” and “Jesus Christ”. Regardless, the chiseled creations have turned the mountain settlement into a place of pride and pilgrimage for worshipers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, attracting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors every year.

 

Modern scholars believe that the churches were “excavated” during the 12^th or 13^th Centuries, which does at least coincide with King Lalibela’s reign. They do however dismiss the “assisting angels” theory altogether. The same academics have estimated that a workforce of some 40,000 workers would have been necessary to construct the churches.  Historians also point out that construction was completed at a remarkable pace for the era, just a bit more than 23 years; which kinda makes you wonder some about the alleged night shift help.

Sources:

http://notesfromcamelidcountry.net/2013/11/01/ethiopias-new-jerusalem-the-rock-hewn-churches-of-lalibela/                                                                                                                            http://kinglalibela.com/king-lalibela-1189-to-1229/                                                            http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/27/travel/rock-churches-lalibela-ethiopia/

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