JOURNEYS Wonders of the World96Stone saint
A life-sized apostle is carved into a
niche in the walls of Bet Golgotha, which
contains some of the finest examples of
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian art. This
church in the north-west cluster of sites
at Lalibela is connected with Bet Mikael,
which provides access to the Selassie
Chapel, reputedly the resting place of
King Lalibela himself. The chapel is,
unsurprisingly, off-limits to visitors.Star with stripes
Within a basalt cave around 12 miles
north of Lalibela stands Yemrehanna
Kristos, an extraordinary church built
with alternating layers of stone and wood.
Possibly constructed during the Aksum
empire (c100–940 AD), it may pre-date
the earliest of the Lalibela churches by
some centuries. Aksum, which was one
of the greatest trading powers of north-
east Africa in the early centuries AD,
converted to Christianity in the fourth
century. The church’s exceptional carved
windows and decorated nave ceiling are
as striking as the many mummified
bodies beneath the site – pilgrims who
came to die in this hallowed place.Monolithic marvel
The scale of the work involved in
excavating Bet Giyorgis from the
rock becomes clear when
approaching the main door: the
church looms 15 metres high. In
contrast, the interior is small and
simple, though it does contain a pair
of centuries-old olive-wood boxes,
one of them reputedly carved by
King Lalibela himself.ИЗП
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