Saint Georges monolithic Churh, Bete Giyorgis

• Ethiopia
• Amhara
• Lalibela

Description

Aerial close shots of Saint Georges monolithic Church, carved in the ref tuff volcanic rock. 11 Monolithic Rupestrian churches are carved in the rock in Lalibela city, Ethiopia. As the tradition goes, King Gebra Maskal Lalibela gave the order to built them in the beginning of XIIIth century, in order to give Ethiopian Orthodox Christians their own Jerusalem in Ethiopia. Islam expanding, pilgrimages were harder to carry out. The place's topography is a symbolic representation of Holy Land, hence its name of Back Jerusalem