Abuna Yemata Guh

Abuna Yemata Guh is a monolithic church located in the Hawzen woreda of the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is situated at an altitude above sea level of 2,580 metres (8, 460 ft), or about 200 meters above the surrounding terrain, and it has to be climbed on foot to reach. It is notable for its spectacular location, its architecture and dome dating back to the sixth century, and its 15th century wall paintings.

The church is one of the "35-odd rock-hewn churches [comprising] the largest concentration anywhere in Ethiopia." It is situated in the erstwhile Gar'alta district (woreda). The entrance is reached by a steep and hazardous ascent with hand and footholds in the rock. Visitors have to cross a natural stone bridge with a sheer drop of approximately 250 m (820 ft) on either side, and thereafter a final narrow wooden footbridge. The standing pillars are made up of Enticho and Adigrat Sandstones, which are the last erosional remnants of a sandstone formation that once covered the Precambrian basement. Although Abuna Yemata Guh is the most inaccessible place of worship in the world, priests have not recorded deaths from the climb.

According to a local legend, the church was hewn during the sixth century, and dedicated to Abuna Yemata (also referred to as Abba Yem'ata), one of the Nine Saints. The Nine Saints are traditionally believed to have originated from Rome, Constantinople, and Syria between the end of the fifth and beginning of the sixth centuries.

Owing to the dry climate of the church, the paintings on the walls and domes of the church are well-preserved. The design of the traceries in the church replicates those found in nearby churches of Gher'alta, such as Debre Tsion church (which houses more paintings depicting figures from the Old Testament than from the New Testament). The text found in these paintings is written in Ge'ez.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).