Lalibela: churches shaped by cutting a rock

Useful to know

The eleven medieval monolithic churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia were carved into the rock. UNESCO connects them to the 13th-century religious center and the surrounding traditional settlement environment. [1]

Unlike a masonry building where the blocks are added, here the shape is created by taking away rock material. At a cut, it looks for the relationship between the interior room, the surrounding rock, and access from the terrain. The exterior silhouette alone does not explain the whole construction design. It is also important how the individual churches connect in the religious ensemble.