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ቤተ-መድሃኒአለም /Bete Medhanialem
Bete Medhanialem is The largest church on the site is often the first church that most people visit as it’s the closest to the entrance and ticket office. It is surrounded by 37 colonnades, a few of which have been crumbled (you can see their remains by the side of the church) but fully restored in 1954 by the Ministry of Civil Engineering. The church itself has a layout that resembles that of the ancient Aksum Churches (further north in Ethiopia where Christianity was first introduced) which was destroyed in the 16th century. The entire church – including the doors, windows, vaults and pillars – is cut within one single rock so as to resemble a building. It was also given a coat of red paint in the early 19th century, some of which can be seen in the northern facade.
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