When I traveled to Ethiopia, I first stayed in Addis Ababa. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get to Lalibela, a destination I had dreamed of visiting, because I didn’t really have the time to take the bus, and I didn’t think I could afford the flight. But one day, I decided to drop by the Ethiopian Airlines office in downtown Addis, and they gave me a quote for a roundtrip flight to Lalibela at just over $100. I took it, and I’m so glad I was able to visit this incredible little town.
Lalibela, Ethiopia (ላሊበላ) is one of the most important and holy cities in all of Ethiopia for followers of the Ethiopian orthodox church. Under control of King Lalibela, the goal was to turn the small town into a the second Jerusalem. Building rock churches and setting his holy city up in the same design and layout as that of Jerusalem, the King aimed to make his capital city a spiritual homeland.
The churches of Lalibela are on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites, with 11 of the churches qualifying. When you buy an entrance ticket, you can then tour all 11 of the churches. Many of them are connected and in there are three main clusters of churches. The first and ultimately most important of the churches in Lalibela (and show first in this video) is the Church of Saint George. This is the best preserved and it stands all alone, carved into the giant red stone. When I was there, it was a good morning because there was a small ceremony going on, and lots of local Ethiopian pilgrims had come to pay respect and worship at the church. To get down to the bottom of the church there’s only a single entrance, through a trench leading to the bottom.
After walking around the Church of Saint George we proceeded on to the other churches of Lalibela including the House of Golgotha, House of Emanuel, and the House of the Saviour of the World, all of which were incredibly stunning. One of the most amazing aspects of the churches is that they are rock hewn, cut from single blocks of stone, and literally carved out by hand. So the builders had to begin from the roof, carving down until they had the shape of a church, and then start carving the church out to create a structure that could be used. After the construction of the rock churches of Lalibela, they were then decorated and painted with beautiful colors. Seeing the churches is such an impressive site!
If you have the chance to visit Ethiopia, definitely make a point to stop by the rock churches of Lalibela, especially if you enjoy either history or architecture. The attractions are still no overcrowded with foreign tourists, and mostly cater to local Ethiopian pilgrims.
Music in this video is Funky Tribe by Bob Bradley and Pete Lockett
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