Church of Saint George Lalibela

The church was not built from the ground up, but rather carved top-down out of a single block of solid volcanic tuff. Workers chiseled away the rock to create a massive trench, leaving a freestanding cross-shaped church inside it.

The churches were commissioned in the 12th or 13th century by King Lalibela, who ruled the Zagwe dynasty in Ethiopia. He intended the site to become a "New Jerusalem" for Christians after Muslim conquests made pilgrimage to the Holy Land difficult.

The church was carved in the exact shape of a perfect Greek cross to honor Saint George, Ethiopia's patron saint. Local lore claims that Saint George himself appeared to King Lalibela on horseback to oversee the church's construction.

Yes, it remains a fully active Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church and is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Africa. Priests still hold daily services inside the ancient rock walls, which are draped in traditional white cloths.