Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela

The 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this 13th-century 'New Jerusalem' are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia near a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings. Lalibela is a high place of Ethiopian Christianity, still today a place of pilmigrage and devotion. In a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, some 645 km from Addis Ababa, eleven medieval monolithic churches were carved out of rock. Their building is attributed to King Lalibela who set out to construct in the 12th century a ‘New Jerusalem’, after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the holy Land. Lalibela flourished after the decline of the Aksum Empire. The churches were not constructed in a traditional way but rather were hewn from the living rock of monolithic blocks. These blocks were further chiselled out, forming doors, windows, columns, various floors, roofs etc. This gigantic work was further completed with an extensive system of drainage ditches, trenches and ceremonial passages, some with openings to hermit caves and catacombs. UNESCO seriously concerned about the protection of World Heritage site of the Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela (Ethiopia) 06-Aug-2021 Director of UNESCO Addis Ababa Office Discussed Conservation of the Rock-Hewn Churches of Labella with the Administration 09-Nov-2018 New Episodes of Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures available 07-Aug-2007. Lalibela was fought over several times in the current war. But the fighters from Tigray have protected the churches and entered the churches without weapons. However, during the fighting in Axum, the Holy Places were destroyed. Production Makonnen Michael & Detlef Moritz Abebe Director : Makonnen Michael Camera : Detlef Moritz Abebe Edit : Detlef Moritz Abebe Music & Sound Mix Teddy Mak Studio 10 Narration & Script Edit Dr. Kofi Ababio