CHURCH OF YEMREHANNA KRISTOS

If there's one must-do excursion from Lalibela, this is it! The church of Yemrehanna Kristos is spectacular and a must-see, built inside a huge cave. The ^12th-century, Axumite-style sanctuary is attributed to the ruler Yemrehanna Kristos, Lalibela's predecessor in the Zagoue dynasty, who reigned from 1132 to 1172.

How to get there. This little wonder can be reached by cab or 4x4 hire. It's also possible to cover the 20 km on a mule, or a five-hour walk - the reward will be well worth the effort! You can also combine your visit with the end of a trek in the Lasta mountains (Abuna Youssef massif) after reaching the summit (Ethiopia's third highest at 4,190 m). A trekking combination we warmly recommend. In the center of the village of Bilbila, a signpost indicates the way to the church, at the end of a 12 km trail. We reach a small village where a path leads to the church. After a fifteen-minute walk through a forest, you arrive at the church, hidden at the bottom of a cave, behind a breeze-block wall supposed to protect it from seepage.

The church. A three-aisled Axumite-style basilica occupies the southeastern part of the cave. Built of stone and wood brought from Jerusalem, Egypt and Syria, it rests on a flooded base and is said to symbolize Noah's Ark. Legend has it that the angel Gabriel intervened in the construction of the sanctuary, as well as on several occasions during the saint's life. A triumphal arch marks the entrance to the sanctuary, flanked by two sacristies(pastophoria). The two-tone facade (wood and plastered masonry) is pierced by eight windows, all different, framed by monkey heads and recalling the eight humans aboard the Ark. The interior is astonishingly richly decorated, with marvellous multicoloured paintings on the ceilings symbolizing the seven heavens. The same ceilings feature countless astonishing geometric and figurative motifs in Arab-Coptic style: crosses, men, horsemen, birds, animals, trees, boats... A series of Coptic-style wall paintings depict the life and Passion of Christ. From the richly painted barrel ceiling fall gold and precious stone pendants (diamonds, according to the priest) with which the sovereign would have adorned his edifice before being called back to greater modesty by God. Pillars surmounted by sculpted, polychrome capitals, semicircular arches and floor paving give this astonishing church an impression of perfection.

The grotto. Note the impressive dimensions of the grotto that houses the church: it is 10-12 m high and 50 m wide! It also includes another building, which may have been the residence of Yemrehanna Kristos, as well as the mausoleum of the priest-king, whose veneration is the object of numerous pilgrimages. A 3 m-high wall marks the boundary of a part of the cave reserved for worship. The treasure room is a simple construction 17 m long, 8 m wide and around 4.50 m high, divided into two rooms. Venturing into the darkness of the cavern, visitors will discover the bones of over 5,700 pilgrims, some of them contemporaries of the ruler Yemrehanna Kristos, lying on the floor.