Ethiopia,

LALIBELAx Africa's Petra was located in a mountain village. xLalibela was named after a king from the end of the 11th century. xAfter his birth, a thick cloud of bees surrounded his cradle. xHis mother named him "honey eater" because the bees recognized his sovereignty. xAccording to the legend, a jealous older brother poisoned Lalibela. He was transported to heaven where he stayed for three days. xGod instructed him to return home and build a church, the likes of which had never been seen before. xHe did more than just build one; he built thirteen! x

The stone churches were carved from soft, red, volcanic rock. xThere were secret passageways, narrow corridors, a few monks, an abundance of beggars, and so much ambiance. xThere were even boys to be paid to care for shoes that were left at the church entrances. x

I always thought that Saint George and the dragon was an English tale. xWell, he was a big time saint in Ethiopia, too. xActually, he was the patron saint of the country. xIn nearly every church I visited, if not all, there was a painting of George on horseback as he killed the dragon and saved the damsel in distress. The churches in Lalibela were no exception. xThe story goes that just as King Lalibela was finishing off his series of churches, a very unexpected visitor suddenly faced him. xAstride a white horse and decked out in full armor came George himself. xThe saint turned out to be upset because not one of the churches had been dedicated to him. xLalibela profusely apologized? x(What else could you do when a full armored knight was mad at you?) xHe promised to make amends immediately. xBet Giyorgis (the Place of George) was the most beautiful (and my favorite) church.

The churches in town were divided into three groups. xThe largest ones were clustered together in group one. xLarge portions had scaffolding and tin roofs to protect the buildings. xNot very photogenic. Group three was St. George's church alone. xApart from the others, it was a cross-shaped structure carved from solid rock. xThe ceiling was ground level and from there the church was carved down. xA trench was carved around it and then more rooms were carved into the walls facing the church. It was the postcard church and my reason for coming to Lalibela.

`Copyright 2001 by Phillip Martin All rights reserved.`	World	Ethiopia	E-mail

Down one of the pathways St. George's Church also called Bet Giyorgis		LALIBELAx Africa's Petra was located in a mountain village. xLalibela was named after a king from the end of the 11th century. xAfter his birth, a thick cloud of bees surrounded his cradle. xHis mother named him "honey eater" because the bees recognized his sovereignty. xAccording to the legend, a jealous older brother poisoned Lalibela. He was transported to heaven where he stayed for three days. xGod instructed him to return home and build a church, the likes of which had never been seen before. xHe did more than just build one; he built thirteen! x The stone churches were carved from soft, red, volcanic rock. xThere were secret passageways, narrow corridors, a few monks, an abundance of beggars, and so much ambiance. xThere were even boys to be paid to care for shoes that were left at the church entrances. x I always thought that Saint George and the dragon was an English tale. xWell, he was a big time saint in Ethiopia, too. xActually, he was the patron saint of the country. xIn nearly every church I visited, if not all, there was a painting of George on horseback as he killed the dragon and saved the damsel in distress. The churches in Lalibela were no exception. xThe story goes that just as King Lalibela was finishing off his series of churches, a very unexpected visitor suddenly faced him. xAstride a white horse and decked out in full armor came George himself. xThe saint turned out to be upset because not one of the churches had been dedicated to him. xLalibela profusely apologized? x(What else could you do when a full armored knight was mad at you?) xHe promised to make amends immediately. xBet Giyorgis (the Place of George) was the most beautiful (and my favorite) church. The churches in town were divided into three groups. xThe largest ones were clustered together in group one. xLarge portions had scaffolding and tin roofs to protect the buildings. xNot very photogenic. Group three was St. George's church alone. xApart from the others, it was a cross-shaped structure carved from solid rock. xThe ceiling was ground level and from there the church was carved down. xA trench was carved around it and then more rooms were carved into the walls facing the church. It was the postcard church and my reason for coming to Lalibela.