Church
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Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela
The Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela are eleven monolithic medieval structures carved directly into red volcanic basalt in the mountainous Amhara region. Commissioned by King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela in the 12th century as a New Jerusalem, the subterranean sanctuaries are interconnected by dark stone trenches and tunnels. Centuries of intense spiritual devotion, angelic legends, and whispers echoing in narrow rock corridors lend a supernatural ambiance to the sacred site.