Tadias Addis

Lalibela incorporates twelve structures bound for love which, along with an organization of connecting halls and chambers, are totally cut or “slashed” out of living stone. The practice of slashing places of worship out of rock, currently confirmed in the past periods, is here taken to an unheard of level. The chapels, a few of which are unsupported, like Bete Gyorgis (Church of St. George, picture at top of page), have more intricate and obvious façades. They incorporate compositional components motivated by structures from the Aksumite Time frame. Besides, some, like Bete Maryam, include impeccable inward adornments (above), which are additionally cut out of the stone, as well as wall works of art. The insides of the houses of worship mix Aksumite components with later components of Copto-Arabic induction. In Bete Maryam, for instance, the design components —, for example, the slashed capitals and window outlines — emulate Aksumite models (see underneath), while the artistic creations can measure up to those in the archaic Religious community of St. Antony at the Red Ocean.