Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Lalibela's Secret Underground: The Church of Beta Giyorgis
Description
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the engineering and spiritual ambition behind Lalibela's rock-hewn churches, focusing on the iconic Beta Giyorgis (Church of Saint George) carved from a single block of volcanic tuff in the 12th–13th century. They discuss the Zagwe king Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, who ordered eleven monolithic churches built in Roha (now Lalibela) as a New Jerusalem after Muslim conquests blocked pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Lucas explains how builders excavated from the top down, using trenches and tunnels to shape the church's cruciform plan, and reveals the hydraulic system that still channels water through the site. The conversation touches on the legend of Lalibela's divine vision, the role of the Agaw people, and the controversy over whether foreign craftsmen from Alexandria or Jerusalem assisted. Luna asks about the church's orientation and the symbolism of the interconnected underground passages. The episode ends with Lucas reflecting on how Beta Giyorgis remains a living church, not just a monument, used daily by Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo worshippers.