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| The Church of Saint George, one of the many churches hewn into the rocky hills of Lalibela, Ethiopia. Scott Pelley, CBS 60 Minutes, talked to a pilgrim who travelled for three days to come here. Many travel for months. photos by Bernard Gagnon |
"If faith is a mystery, there are few places in the Christian world where the mystery is deeper than in Lalibela. 800 years ago, an Ethiopian king ordered a new capital for Christians. At 8,000 feet, on the central plateau of Ethiopia stand 11 churches, each carved from a single, gigantic, block of stone. No bricks, no mortar, no concrete, no lumber, just rock sculpted into architecture. Not much is known about who built them, or why. But the faithful of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church say there's no mystery really. The churches of Lalibela were built by angels." Scott Pelley, CBS NewsIn a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, not far from Addis Ababa, eleven medieval monolithic churches were carved out of rock. This 60 Minutes report by Scott Pelley tells the story.
Their creation is attributed to King Lalibela of the Zagwe dynasty, who set out to construct a "New Jerusalem" in the 12th century, after Muslim conquests halted Christian pilgrimages to the holy land. "A Black Jerusalem." The unique group of churches remains in use today by the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church and is an enormously popular pilgrimage site for their worshipers and Coptic Christians since the 13th century. The Churches of Lalibela became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. "Rock sculpted into art," Pelley put it.
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According to various descriptions, there are two main groups of churches. North of the Jordan river are Biete Medhani Alem (House of the Saviour of the World), Biete Mariam (House of Mary), Biete Maskal (House of the Cross), Biete Denagel (House of Virgins), and Biete Golgotha Mikael (House of Golgotha Mikael). South of the river are Biete Amanuel (House of Emmanuel), Biete Qeddus Mercoreus (House of St. Mercoreos), Biete Abba Libanos (House of Abbot Libanos), Biete Gabriel Raphael (House of Gabriel Raphael), and Biete Lehem (House of Holy Bread). The eleventh church, Biete Ghiorgis (House of St. George), is isolated from the others, but connected by a system of trenches.
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| 60 Minutes, CBS |
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| I'm reminded of the incredible extant mosaic of Christ Pantocrater in Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, an icon of Eastern Orthodoxy . |
The Ethiopian clerics says these wondrous churches were build by angels. But I wonder about the real workers who did the hard labor of digging, chiselling and carving, day in and day out, the backbreaking work of thousands of workers needed to turn rock into cathedrals. Might they have been slaves?
The diversity of the churches is also noteworthy, Pelley reported. Each church is unique, perhaps a tribute to workers and craftspeople who added human figures of bas-reliefs, colorful paintings of geometric designs, or depictions of biblical scenes.
Biete Medhani Alem, with its five aisles, is believed to be the largest monolithic church in the world, while Biete Ghiorgis has a remarkable cruciform (cross-formed) plan. Most were probably used as churches from the outset, but Biete Mercoreos and Biete Gabriel Rafael may formerly have been royal residences. Several of the interiors are decorated with mural paintings.
The World Monuments Fund is working on preserving the site from the ravages of time. They are training priests and workers about conservation as well, a wonderful project.
The World Monuments Fund is working on preserving the site from the ravages of time. They are training priests and workers about conservation as well, a wonderful project.
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lalibela-11-churches-each-sculpted-out-of-a-single-block-of-stone-800-years-ago-60-minutes-2019-12-01/ Produced by Nicole Young. Associate producer, Katie Kerbstat. Broadcast associate, Ian Flickinger.
© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
* Wikipedia, Lalibela churches.
"Centuries after its construction, Lalibela remains home to a large community of Ethiopian Orthodox priests and nuns. Since the twelfth century, the city has been a continued site of religious practice and popular pilgrimage. Gatherings of pilgrims are especially large on major feast days and on Orthodox Christmas (Genna), held on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. The focus of multiple conservation and restoration efforts since the 1960s, the Lalibela churches were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Improved transportation to the site has increased the number of tourists and pilgrims visiting each year, making continued preservation and study efforts a high priority." Kristen Windmuller-Luna, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University, September 2014
* http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170817-ethiopias-miraculous-underground-churches by Jack Barker, 19 August 2017
"But as I emerged from the carved channel that led to Biete Giyorgis, I realised it didn’t matter how the churches came to be. Far below, a new wave of visitors were passing through the church's towering stone entryways, lintels that have been worn smooth by the footfall of centuries. They descended into the Earth, disappearing into the darkness cast by the monoliths and emerging again, having passed through the structures, to climb back up towards the sunlight. At the edge of the crevices, young men helped elderly worshippers navigate the sloping trails. I lingered for several minutes to watch the seemingly never-ending stream of pilgrims return above ground. They believed, and that was enough."*http//: World Heritage Sites :Lalbela: 11 medieval monolithic cave churches of this '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.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Coptic-Christianity.
htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Eastern_Orthodox_Church
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