Description of the attraction
One of the main attractions of the country is the city of Lalibela, which for many centuries was a religious center and a place of pilgrimage. On its territory there are 11 temples carved into the rocks. The largest of them, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior ("Bete Madhane Alem"), reaches 33.7 meters in length, 23.7 meters in width and 11.6 meters in height. The most revered of the temples is the Temple of the Virgin Mary ("Bete Maryam"), where the windows are shaped like Roman and Greek crosses, swastikas and wicker crosses. The church stands in a large courtyard, which with incredible efforts was carved right into the rock. Later, the Church of the Cross ("Beta Mascel") was carved into the northern wall of the courtyard. On the opposite side of the courtyard is the Church of the Mother of God ("Bete Denagyl"), dedicated to the torments of the Blessed Virgin. Through the labyrinth tunnel, you can go to other rock temples associated with the courtyard.
The Church of St. George ("Bethe Giyorgis"), the patron saint of Ethiopians, Georgians and British, was carved in the form of a cruciform tower with equal cross-bars of the cross. It was first knocked out as a solid block in the rock, then it was given the shape of a Greek cross, and, finally, the inside was hollowed out. The roof of the church is located at ground level, the church itself stands in a deep hole, and can only be reached through a tunnel.
