Rock Church of Lalibela
Lalibela, Ethiopia 2013
Eleven churches were carved out of rock…building down rather than up. King Lalibela ordered them built in the 12th century to establish what he called a New Jerusalem.
The rooms inside the churches are dark and small. The floors are uneven. Candles burn before primitive paintings of saints and the Holy Family. Priests dressed in white robes sit dozing. In their hand they hold a gold cross. They rouse themselves to grant blessings to the faithful who approach to kiss the cross.