CHESTER HIGGINS JR.

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It is believed that King Lalibela, who reigned in the 11th century in central Ethiopia found a way to celebrate the first Millennium of Christ's birth by creating 12 churches out of the Lasta Mountains. The laborers went to the mountains and extracted the defined rock, excavating a trench fifty-feet deep around an exposed center. When the trench was finished, what was left standing in the middle was a solid piece of Mountain rock. They then began to extract interior rock from this remaining monolith and eventually made giant Sculptures that became churches. Eventually, the trenches became the courtyards to these sacred places. The Church interiors vary. The largest, Medane Alem, is about 300 feet by 200 feet, with interior arches and columns. The most famous one is the rock-hewn Church of St. Giyorgis or St. George. It is also the smallest. It's one of the jewels in this Holy town of Lalibela that is a favorite of Ethiopian pilgrims. -- (c) CHESTER HIGGINS Jr.