“Ethiopia 🇪🇹 ~Tigray Region ..Wukro Cherkos Rock Church”
Day 7 ~Ethiopia 🇪🇹 20-day Cultural Tour
…. here we are inside Wukro Cherkos Rock Church… I just love all the ancient history and looking at the fresco paintings is the best
Day 7: (Jan 12)
Geralta, Mekelle, Tigray Rock Churches, Tigray Region
…..In the Morning, after breakfast, head to the Geralta rock churches of Tigray; Teka-Eka-Tesfa cluster that date back, between 6-9th century and established by the nine saints who came from Syria during the time of Kaleb and Gebremeskel kings of the Axum dynasty.
Visit the rock churches; namely Mariam Korkur in the morning and in the afternoon; Abune Yemata Emata.
From there, continue driving to Mekelle.
Overnight ~Mekele
Mekele Hotel
Duration: 12 hours
We did not fulfill this packed itinerary, since I was sick, with stomach ills, but wanted to show the itinerary as is….it wasn’t that much of a disappoint, since the rock churches of Lalibela were our focus on this trip
This crooked cruciform sandstone church is a three-quarters monolith and boasts beautiful cruciform pillars (notice the swirling sandstone laminate), cubical capitals, an outstanding Axumite frieze and a barrel-vaulted ceiling.
Because the church is attached to a large town, it is always open and travelers are welcome, even during church services.
The church is regarded by locals to date from the 4th century A.D., but it is thought by David Buxton to have been excavated at a later date than that of Adi Kesho Medhane Alem, and a century before the church of Lalibela. In many aspects, the edifice shows a considerable resemblance with Abraha Atsebaha and Mikael Imba churches. The main entrance leads to a room containing a beautifully decorated 15th century pillars with paintings depicting angles and saints that cover the ceiling.
The barrel ceiling is still black from a fire which occurred in the 10th century, when Queen Judith reigned over the country.
The only sizable town between Adigrat and Mekelle, with its relaxed if rather nondescript character, forms a convenient base from which to explore a number of rock-hewn churches. There are more rock-hewn churches on the outskirt of the town, as well.
The roof of the church was repaired with concrete in 1958. In addition, one can see modified cement work around the entrances to the church. The main entrance leads to the anteroom. A finely carved pillar comes into view in the anteroom, which is beautified by 15th century murals, depicting angels and saints.
The interior of the church is handsomely decorated with symmetrically patterned arches, columns and carvings. There are thirteen freestanding and huge square pillars with cubical capitals supporting the tall ceiling. There are also exists a replica of the Ark of the Covenant.
The existence of the church was first reported in England in 1868 by members of the Napier Expedition who visited it on their way to Maqdella. For many years, it was the only rock -hewn church known to the outside world. Despite the fact, that Portuguese Jesuit Father, Manual Barradas, had already given an “accurate” account of the distribution of the rock-hewn churches of Gheralta and Hawzien.
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More