For centuries, the church was extremely remote, requiring a long and arduous journey on foot or by mule. We had no mule, so we took a car and drove through villages controlled by the Fano militia to reach the parking area, from which we still had to hike for 30 minutes up a steep path to the cave.
The Yemrehanna Kristos Church (🎟️60 USD / 8,820 ETB) is an ancient Ethiopian Orthodox church built into a natural cave on the side of Mount Abuna Yosef in the Lasta Mountains, approximately 40 km from Lalibela. It was constructed in the 11th or 12th century, commissioned by and named after the Zagwe dynasty priest-king Yemrehana Krestos. It is a well-preserved example of late Aksumite architecture, featuring a combination of stone and cedarwood construction. The entire structure is built on a foundation of olive wood panels and was constructed before the famous rock-hewn churches of nearby Lalibela. The church remains an active pilgrimage site, where the remains of monks and pilgrims are mummified and stored behind the main structure.
