National Geographic History - 01.2019 - 02.2019

DISCOVERIES

F

rom far away, the

Lalibela church

complex is invisi-

ble, blending into the

highlands of north-

ern Ethiopia. To see the im-

pressive medieval churches

carved from igneous rock

centuries ago, visitors must

move in closer and venture

high into the hills.

Moving Mountains

Christian roots in Ethiopia

run deep, extending as far

back as the fourth centuryA.D.

Two missionaries, Sts. Fru-

mentius and Aedesius, are

credited with bringing

Christianity to Ethiopia.

They converted a king of the

powerful Aksumite em-

e young faith

k hold, and

uses of wor-

ship were built

including

St. Mary of

Zion, first built urth

century and rebuilt several

times since then. Today

it is one of the world’s

oldest churches.

The Aksum dynasty ruled

a powerful kingdom from

the first to the eighth cen-

tury. Commerce increased

their power and the ability

to spread their faith north

to Egypt and east to Yemen.

Archaeologists have found

Aksumite coins bearing

crosses, making them the

first to put the Christian

symbol on their currency.

In the seventh and eighth

enturies the Aksumite

tate went into decline af-

r Persia conquered south

rabia, disrupting trade

outes through the Red

Sea and cutting off the re-

gion’s access to the Medi-

terranean. Only in the 12th

century did the fortunes of

Ethiopia revive under new

rulers, the Zagwe. Their

capital city was founded in

the center of the country,

surrounded by a protective

ring of mountains.

In 1185 Gebre Mesqel Lal-

ibela began his rule as the

new Zagwe king. Lalibela is

credited with building the

11 remarkable monolithic

churches in the mountains.

Ethiopian chroniclers say

Lalibela had visited Jerusa-

lem shortly before its fall to

Saladin’s Muslim forces in

1187. When the Holy Land
      became inaccessible, the

Ethiopian king would create

a new one for his own people

to visit as pilgrims. His capi-

tal city (later named for him)

would be a New Jerusalem.

Rock Solid: The

Churches of Lalibela

Eleven chiseled churches hewed from the rocks of Lalibela turned

this mountain town in northern Ethiopia into an inspirational site

of faith and awe, attracting devoted pilgrims and curious scholars

to its sacred halls for centuries.

6TH-CENTURY PROCESSIONAL CROSS FROM ETHIOPIA. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, NEW YORK MET/SCALA, FLORENCE

1185

The Zagwe kingLalibela

begins his rule. He is

credited with building

the 11 rock-cut churches

in his capital city.

1500s

Portugueseenvoys search

for a legendary Christian

kingdom in Africa and are

awestruck by Lalibela’s

monolithic churches.

Lalibela becomes aUNESCO

World Heritage site. The

churches are an important

place of pilgrimage for

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians.

4th cent.a.d.^1978

wo missionaries travel

o Ethiopia and convert

he king of the powerful

Aksum dynastyto

hristianity.

powerful A

pire. Th

took

hou

s

1616

4

T

to

th

A

C

THE HOUSE OF

St. George, Lalibela,

was hewed from the

surrounding rock in the

early 13th century. It is one

of the site’s more recently

built structures.

TONI ESPADAS