The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia

Anyone know anything about these magnificent churches/temples in Lalibela, Ethiopia?



The following myth is taken from www.ethiopiatravel.com...

"Lalibela, previously known as Roha, is named after the king. The word itself, which translates to mean the bees, recognizes his sovereignty and the people of the region still recount the legend that explains why.

Lalibela was born in Roha in the second half of the twelfth century, the youngest son of the royal line of the Zagwe dynasty, which then ruled over much of northern Ethiopia. Despite several elder brothers he was destined for greatness from his earliest days. Not long after his birth, his mother found a swarm of bees around his crib and recalled an old belief that the animal world foretold important futures. She cried out: -The bees know that this child will become king.

But trials and tribulations followed. The ruling king feared for his throne and tried to have Lalibela murdered and persecutions continued for several years - culminating in a deadly potion that left the young prince in mortal sleep. During the three-day stupor, Lalibela was transported by angels to the first, second and third heavens where God told him not to worry but to return to Roha and build churches - the like of which the world had never seen before. God also told Lalibela how to design the churches, where to build them and how to decorate them.

Once he was crowned, he gathered masons, carpenters, tools, set down a scale of wages and purchased the land needed for the building. The churches are said to have been built with great speed because angels continued the work at night."



Blessings,
Mikromarius

Yes, I have heard of these, and yes, they are magnificent and breath-taking!

Yes, such clean and pure, God-worthy geometry, carved into the mountain. And look at the size of those things! They're huge. And there are thirteen of them around the area (13 is BTW my lucky number, one of the "holiest" numbers I know of).

Blessings,
Mikromarius

Ethiopia is also known to have the Ark of the Covenant .....???
www.oneworldmagazine.org...

Originally posted by helen670
Ethiopia is also known to have the Ark of the Covenant .....???
www.oneworldmagazine.org...

Yes together with some pretty amazing replicas of the Peter's Curch and surrounding buildings (they're exactly the same, only the Ethiopian ones are bigger). At least I think they are in Ethiopia. Anyone?

As for the Ark of Covenant, here is another one:

www.wyattarchaeology.com...

The late hobby archaeologist Ron Wyatt, the man who claims to have found the Noah's Ark in the Ararat mountains, Sodom and Gomorrah overflowed by sulphur, The Red Sea Crossing, Mount Sinai, and in particular, the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant with the blood and water of Christ on the Mercy Seat. Pretty amazing guy, as he used the Bible together with the direct guidance of God to find these things. Personally I don't know what to make of it, though most of his work is pretty impressive, the methods used and the proofs he presents demands your faith in one way or the other. I tend to believe this guy and his discoveries, though some of his proofs are not very well backed up and rests on faith mostly. But a cool site indeed. I believe this man was a man of God.

Blessings,
Mikromarius

Originally posted by mikromarius
Yes, such clean and pure, God-worthy geometry, carved into the mountain. And look at the size of those things! They're huge. And there are thirteen of them around the area (13 is BTW my lucky number, one of the "holiest" numbers I know of).

Blessings,
Mikromarius

I don' know much about them, but they are magnificent. The legend is interesting too. BTW 13 is my lucky number too. I was born on Fri the 13th.

[Edited on 7-27-2003 by groingrinder]

Originally posted by groingrinder
I don' know much about them, but they are magnificent. The legend is interesting too. BTW 13 is my lucky number too. I was born on Fri the 13th.

Good for you!Cool!

Know anything about the Peter's Church replica?

Blessings,
Mikromarius

Didn't the Knights Templars have something to do with this site?

regards
seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
Didn't the Knights Templars have something to do with this site?

Never heared about that, but it sounds naturally, they were apparently involved in the archetectual work and construction of most Christian cathedrals, so I wouldn't be amazed if they went to Lalibela to study these temples which the myth says was built by angels... Can you elaborate, please?

Blessings,
Mikromarius

Originally posted by mikromarius

Originally posted by Seekerof
Didn't the Knights Templars have something to do with this site?

Never heared about that, but it sounds naturally, they were apparently involved in the archetectual work and construction of most Christian cathedrals, so I wouldn't be amazed if they went to Lalibela to study these temples which the myth says was built by angels... Can you elaborate, please?

Blessings,
Mikromarius

I'm currently trying to "find" where I thought I had read what I had mentioned above Mikro....bear with me. Time is rather hectic on my side of things (ie: getting ready for another 4 years college and all) but I will endeavor to see what I can find.

regards
seekerof

[Edited on 28-7-2003 by Seekerof]

Argh......dern it.......

Ok Micro.......let me try this one more time.
(I wrote this already once and found that it had "double posted"....went to erase one and it ended up erasing both....)

The Knights Templar connection I was indicating is eluded to by the 'greek cross' symbol on the Bet Giorgis (Church of St. George) and a few other indications but mainly the 'greek cross'. The 'greek cross' bears great resemblance to the Knights Templar 'cross' symbol. The connection is this:
When Prince Lalibela was exiled by his brother, King Harbay, Lalibela fled to Jerusalem. Its during his time spent in Jerusalem that some researchers have concluded or hinted to that Prince Lalibela came into affiliation with the Knights Templar's. Upon the Prince's return to Ethiopia to retake his throne from his brother, that the Prince was also accompanied by a contingent of Knights Templar's. Prince Lalibela regained his throne, for which a legend states that both were visited by angels, and now King Lalibela "re-payed" the Knights Templar's back by making a symbolic gesture of their help and influence......in the form of the above mentioned symbol(s).
Graham Hancock also eluded to this in his book "The Sign and the Seal"....his quest for locating the Ark of the Covenent.
Here is a link: (scroll down to the section entitled: "The Hidden Legacy of Templars"
www.mystae.com...

There are also numerous legends, myths, stories related to the construction of the 11 temple complex's in Lalibela, including the Bet Giorgis (Church of St. George):

1) they were built by St. George with the help of angels.

2) St. Geroge "appeared" to King Lalibela and asked the king to provide him a "perfect" home.

3) King Lalbela was instructed by God to build churches for which the world had never seen. God instructed Lalibela where to build them. The King was said to have carved out one meter a day, during the day, and angels, along with St. Gabriel, carved out three meters at night.

4) a dcoument found to be written by King Lalibela states that "white men" built the churches under his guidance, directed by God.

What they all have in common, is that they were all built within a 23-24 year span of time.

Lalibela, according to legend, upon his birth, was surrounded by a dense cloud of bees. Hence his name: "the bees recognize his sovereignty."
www.sacredsites.com...


regards
seekerof

[Edited on 28-7-2003 by Seekerof]

It's quite interesting that the Lalibela legend describes him entering the heavens and then getting a commission by God, when in fact the same was true of Enoch in his legend. The stories differ but they both have fantastic details. Many of the church fathers made sure the 'Book of Enoch' was destroyed, but the civilization at Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) made sure to preserve the text. I wonder what really went on, when those thirteen churches were built, not to mention the Oblisks of Axum. The former postings said the angels built the churches at night while the humans built them in the day. Strange indeed. Funny that some say that the number 13 is Luky when in fact many cultures consider it Very Unlucky. To this day buildings are built without listing the thirteenth floor. 7 (good) + 6 (bad)=13

Here a little passage out the the Book of Enoch the Prophet relating to the heavenly voyage:

'A cloud then snatched me up, and the wind raised me above the surface of the earth, placing me at the extremity of the heavens. There I saw another vision; I saw the habitation and couches of the saints. There my eyes beheld their habbitations with the angels, and their couches with the holy ones...
After this I beheld the secrets of the heavens and of paradise, according to its divisions; and of human action, as they weigh it there in balances. I saw the habitations of the elect, and the habitations of the holy. And there my eyes beheld all the sinners, who denied the Lord of glory, and whom they were expelling from thence, and dragging away, as they stood there; no punishment proceeded against them from the Lord of spirits.'

A TIMELINE OF AFRICAN ORTHODOX FAITH..........
www.stmaryofegypt.net...

Quote/Ethiopia //////The Orthodox Church in Africa is unique in its establishment. It was prophesied by Isaiah in 750 B.C. (Is. 19:19) and fulfilled by the flight of Jesus' family into Egypt to escape King Herod's tyranny, where the Holy Family eventually found refuge among the Africans.
Likewise, the Church in Alexandria, Egypt became on of the four primary Christian sees in the world, among the churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Rome, joined only later by Constantinople.

As is prophesied in the Old Testament, African kings were among the first among the nations to know about the birth of Christ, and come and offer gifts and worship him. (Pslm 68:31, 72:10; Is. 60:5-6). These were the beginnings of African Christianity.

After the bloody period of persecution during 203 A.D. - 313 A.D., the African Church began the monastic movement known throughout the world today.
The African Church is also credited with the establishment of the first catechetical school (in Alexandria) and, after Saint Athnaisus' skillful defense of the Orthodox faith in front of the first Ecumenical Council, the formulation of the Nicene Creed ("We believe in one God, the Father Almighty").

hope that helps...
helen..

Strange that Lalibela would be commanded to construct 13 rock-hewn churches in the shape of a cross. The number thirteen does not stand out in the OT or the NT as an ordinary sign from God. Unless it has to do with the future prophetic thirteen colonies that start the United States of America you see today which possibly was handed down by the Templar Knights.

Originally posted by helen670
Ethiopia is also known to have the Ark of the Covenant .....???
www.oneworldmagazine.org...

i watched a documentary the other week which followed the trail of the ark in Ethiopia. There is a small church/temple which supposedly houses the Ark with the ten commandments inside. One guy is in there that tends to it, no one else is allowed into the grounds and he is the only one allowed to look upon it (so basically no one else has seen it and no one can verify its existance). They seem to treat it pretty seriously and everyone there is convinced the Ark is there.

Before that, it was meant to have been housed elsewhere in Ethiopia...the site is in the middle of a large lake and the island has cliff walls all around it. The monks there have a bunch of ancient artifacts that they claim were from the Jews that originally brought the Ark to the site. A king then moved the Ark to its present location.

All very interesting stuff

I've always been fascinated by these churches. The intricacy of the carvings are interesting, especially so because they are carved out of hard rocks and not soft rocks such as limestone.

As for the location of the Ark, I seem to remember it being in a place called Akum. Don't quote me on that though. It's tended by a solitary caretaker, well, if the Ark is there.

I was wondering what are the conditions of the rest of the rock hewn churches in Ethiopia. The only photo on display is the Church of St. George (Bet Giorgis), the one at the beginning of the thread. Are there really 11 churches or 13? Where can you find the photos of all of these? Are some of the rock hewn chuches damaged? It would be interesting to see how the sites are spaced appart. Does it form a sacred image from the air?

Yea zvezdar i saw the same show as you did, Digging for the Truth with Josh Bernstein on the History Channel. Pretty interesting, i have Jewish and Christian herritage and i didnt know about the near-Jewish, and i say that because i think they might be Christian but have a lot of things that are from the Jewish faith, group of people in Ethiopia. They also showed some of the stuff that they had on one of the island plateau's on that lake that showed that the guys carrying the ark had been there because it was the breast plate or something... i forget, i havent seen that show in a while but i liked it a lot, anyone know what time its on?

But I found them in a book and not on the internet. I recently found the book at a giant used book store. Its titled 'Ethiopia, Ancient Cities and Temples' by Jean Doresse. He displays black and white photos in various sections of his book and these are the churches he took at Lalibela:

1. The Church of St. George. Its a rock cut monolith cruciform in plan. According to tradition the craftsmen who made this monument came from Alexandria, but there are certain details which bear the indisputable hallmarks of Aksumite art. The photo of this church is at the beginning of this thread.

2. The Church of Abba Libanos. This church is said to be founded by Maskal-Kebra, wife of King Lalibela. The structure is nestled under a thick ridge of volcanic rock. Its doors and windows conform to the pattern perfected by the ancient masons of Aksum.

3. Church of the Virgin. The church of Mary also as windows of Aksumite design and carved bays in the same style as the pediments of the great stelae of the old capital. There's a base-relief on the side of the structure showing two saints on horseback overthrowing two demons. Right next to the church of the virgin is the Church of the Cross.

4. Church of the Cross. This building has repeating arch designs around its upper boarder.

There was another Ethiopian book I found that said that only ten churches were built by Lalibela.
There is however some interesting details made my Doresse. He says that the reign of Lalibela is particular famous for the distinctive churches he left behind him. The structures being attributed to workmen from Jerusalem or Egypt and that these monuments have preserved in every detail the characteristics of Aksumite art. He also says that nothing is known about the church built by Lalibela on the Amba Geshena, which is the sacred site of a sacred tree worshipped by pagans of ancient times. Many structures at Lalibela had to be the work of the much earlier civilization of Aksum.



www.sacredsites.com...

The pattern at the tip of this obelisk is the trademark of Aksumite design. When structures are said to have windows and doors of Aksumite design, the tip of this obelisk is what they are refering to.


[edit on 2-5-2005 by lostinspace]