This is one of eleven churches in Lalibela, Ethiopia. There’s something of a mystery about them as they were apparently chiseled out of the rock from the top down. King Lalibela visited Jerusalem in the 13th century and received a vision/command to recreate Jerusalem in his Ethiopian country. I have to admit that if I received a command from God to dig and chisel for the last 20 years of my life, I would likely argue vociferously.
These churches aren’t solid structures, though. You can go inside them. They are a popular pilgrimage site for Christians. There are some who believe the Knights Templar helped in the construction of these churches and that the Ark of the Covenant was kept inside. It doesn’t seem like that great a hiding place until you consider that there is supposedly a 12th church that no one has found yet.
Whenever I see pictures of these churches, I wonder what happens when it rains. I mean, Ethiopia gets 40 to 80 inches of rain a year. That’s comparable to Florida. Those churches would be frequently underwater if they were built where I live. There must be some kind of drainage system, but how do you drain a giant hole in the ground? All I know is that the humans of the past were capable of amazing achievements even without modern technology and equipment. When it comes to these kinds of things, the how is often better understood than the why.