BETA MARIAM

Quite modest in size, the monolithic "House of Mary" church is the first in the complex. Linked to Medhane Alem by a small tunnel, it stands at the center of a second pit comprising a series of sanctuaries, and at the corner of which is a pool of holy water with miraculous virtues, helping infertile women to have a baby. The church, said to have been the favorite of King Lalibela, is still the object of particularly intense veneration.
The building is surrounded by three porches, one of which is surmounted by a bas-relief with horsemen, recalling the many equestrian saints of Ethiopian religion. The windows are surrounded by "monkey head" motifs, typical of Axumite architecture.

The interior, with its classical basilica division of three naves surmounted by a gallery, features an extremely rich pictorial decoration, combining frescoes and rock paintings, probably from different periods. The iconography recalls episodes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Flight into Egypt, the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Transfiguration. Among the animals, two fighting bulls, one white, the other black, symbolize the struggle between good and evil.

In the center, an isolated pillar covered with hangings is intriguing. Local tradition has it that Christ appeared here to King Lalibela, leaving on the pillar the story of the world's past and future, a world that would vanish instantly if the story were revealed.