Biete Maryam: Mary's House in Lalibela

Lalibela · Ethiopia · The oldest rock-hewn church dedicated to the Virgin Mary

Biete Maryam (House of Mary/Miriam) is considered the oldest of the eleven rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this 12th-13th century monolithic church forms the heart of the church complex and is a pilgrimage center for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Its architecture, which replicates the Tombs of Adam and Christ, displays Aksumite, Syrian, and Coptic influences.

Lalibela: the Jerusalem of Ethiopia

Lalibela, situated at an altitude of 2,500 meters in the Lasta district, was founded during the Zagwe dynasty under the reign of King Gebre Meskel Lalibela (r. ca. 1181–1221). According to tradition, the king was guided by Jesus on a mystical journey to Jerusalem and instructed to build a “second Jerusalem” in Ethiopia. The layout and names of the main buildings in the complex are widely accepted as a symbolic representation of Jerusalem, leading some experts to date the current structure to the years following Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem in 1187.

The Biete Maryam Church

Biete Maryam is probably the oldest of the churches in the complex and serves as a replica of the Tombs of Adam and Christ. It belongs to the Northern Group, along with Biete Medhane Alem (House of the Savior of the World, which houses the Cross of Lalibela), Biete Golgotha Mikael (known for its art and where the tomb of King Lalibela is said to be located), Biete Meskel (House of the Cross), and Biete Denagel (House of the Virgins).

The architecture of Biete Maryam shows the influence of the Aksumite building tradition: the imitation in stone of wooden architectural elements, door and window frames that mimic the form of Aksumite stelae, and the characteristic arcade. However, it also exhibits Eastern influences, particularly Syrian and Coptic: the gabled roof and linear moldings suggest a Syrian influence. Historian Stuart Munro-Hay notes that many Egyptian Copts migrated to Ethiopia during Lalibela's reign, and they may have assisted in the construction, although the architecture fundamentally follows the local Aksumite style.

The complex of the eleven churches

The churches are organized into four groups: the North Group (Biete Medhane Alem, Biete Maryam, Biete Golgotha Mikael, Biete Meskel, Biete Denagel), the West Group (the Church of St. George, considered the best executed and best preserved), the East Group (Biete Amanuel, possibly the former royal chapel; Biete Qeddus Mercoreus; Biete Abba Libanos; Biete Gabriel-Rufael; and Biete Lehem, "Bethlehem"), and the more distant churches such as the monastery of Ashetan Maryam and the church of Yemrehana Krestos.

David Phillipson, professor of African archaeology at the University of Cambridge, has proposed that the churches of Merkorios, Gabriel-Rufael, and Danagel were initially carved as fortifications between 600 and 800 CE, during the Kingdom of Aksum, and that the name Lalibela was associated with them posthumously. However, recent archaeological excavations have uncovered abundant pottery and faunal remains dating from between 900 and 1100 CE, indicating that the site was a secular settlement before being transformed into a religious center.

Marian devotion in the Ethiopian Church

The Virgin Mary (in Ge'ez and Amharic: Maryam) holds a central place in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The most important Marian feasts are Filseta (August 15, the Assumption), one of the major feasts of the Ethiopian liturgical year, and the feast of Our Lady of Zion (November 21), the most important Marian devotion in the Ethiopian Church. In Lalibela, the most solemn celebrations take place during Genna (January 7, Christmas) and Timkat (January 19, Epiphany), when religious services are accompanied by large processions, traditional music, and rituals dating back centuries.