New Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia

Co-ordinates: 11° 48’ 8’’ N, 38° 33’ 23’’ E

 

Location:

The Checheho Complex is found between Debre Zeit and Nefas Meewcha on the road from Woldiya to Debre Tabor, also known as the Chinese road. The site is to the east of the roadside built church of Medhane Alem Checheho. A second built church, Kidhane Mehret is found immediately below the complex.

 

Site Description:

(by Tarn Philipp)

The Checheho Complex consists of four churches all carved into a southeast facing outcrop at the top of a small peak. The churches are arranged immediately adjacent to one another. The site is informally referred to as Wassa Abba Difar, or any of the individual church names. Checheho refers to the area in which the complex is located. The four churches from west to east are Gebriel, Kidhane Mehret, Bal Egzabiher and Raquel. The fourth, Raquel was never consecrated. The churches are largely irregular and include slender square columns with neither a base nor capitals. The site includes two carved wells to the south of Bal Egzabiher and Raquel.

The craftsman is the late Abba Gebre Sellasie Difar who was interviewed in 2016, aged eighty. Abba Difar was a local farmer-cum-hermit who lived in a small cell above the complex while carving the churches. He received support from the local community in the form of provisions and tools. Abuna Elsa, the archbishop from South Gondar christened the complex, which includes four tabots. The three tabots of Kiddus Baele Egzabiher, Kiddus Gebriel and Kidhane Mehret came from Checheho while the forth, Kiddus Raguel was brought from Debre Tabor. The forth church, which forms the east end of the complex never received a tabot. Following a dispute with church authorities over the distribution of money donated to the complex, Abba Difar left the site and began carving the nearby church of Demelash Giyorgis.

While the sheer scale and ambition of the complex is a remarkable achievement for any individual, the churches lack discipline and sophistication. However, the churches are among the earliest of the newly identified sites in Ethiopia and have played a decisive role in the resurgence of the craft. The partial collapse and poor state of the churches, has necessitated the relocation of the tabots to the built church of Kidhane Mehret below. The key holder priest insists that a few individuals from Addis Ababa are willing to fund the restoration of Beta Gebriel but fear the other churches are beyond repair.

 

Gebriel, Checheho Complex

Beta Gebriel has three arched entrances from the south east and the upper wall has partially collapsed. The inner walls are curved rather than straight and form an irregular plan. Six freestanding columns are placed somewhat at random. A column is found within each of the three entrances. The west and central of these include another column to the north, between which is placed a third column. Partially formed arches are sprung between the three north columns. A third arch extends southeast to the column within the east entrance. The maqdas lies to the north rather than the east and is almost oval in plan. The maqdas has two entrances, raised by steps and includes a manbara tabot of stone and a niche in the east wall. The upper openings of the manbara tabot have been fitted with timber doors.

The façade of Gebriel has been built up against the rock face in an effort to strengthen the thin outer wall. The east wall of the church includes a small hole to the second church, Kidhane Mehret. The depth of the wall is only 50mm at this opening and demonstrates poor judgment. Rock has also fallen away from the upper the west wall to form a rough opening.

 

Kidhane Mehret, Checheho Complex

The second church, Kidhane Mehret is immediately to the east of Gebriel. The church has two arched entrances and steps descend within. Two freestanding columns form a small church of three bays in width and only two in depth. The columns are both square in plan but their shafts do not align. Semi formed arches are sprung from the north shafts toward the maqdas. The inner walls are uneven but the church is roughly rectangular in plan. The maqdas is raised in the north and includes a rectangular entrance from both the central and east bay. The chamber is oval-like in plan and includes a manbara tabot of stone.

The west aisle extends slightly further north than the rest of the church and includes the small opening to Gebriel. A return visit in 2018 found that much of the upper south wall has fallen away since 2016. The façade includes a small built shelter intended to protect the crumbling wall from further erosion. The hermit cell in which Abba Difar lived whilst carving the complex is visible above Kidhane Mehret.

 

Bal Eg Zabier, Checheho Complex

The third church, Bal Eg Zabier lies immediately east of Kidhane Mehret but the craftsman appears to have learnt his lesson and the party wall is thicker than that between Gebriel and Kidhane Mehret. The church includes three arched entrances, which again descend within the church. Bal Egzabiher is greater in width than depth and boasts five columns. Two pairs of columns are aligned in the west and centre of the church. The fifth column lies to the east and aligns with the two north columns. The upper shafts of the columns curve slightly to meet the roof but there are no arches.

The maqdas lies to the north and has two entrances positioned on either side of the east column. The left entrance is arched while that from the right is rectangular. The maqdas is raised and oval in plan with a window to the north. The manbara tabot is of stone and housed a tabot to Bal Egzabiher and Raquel before they were moved to the built church of Kidhane Mehret. A large portion of the west wall has collapsed due to a natural fault in the rock.

 

Raguel, Checheho Complex

Raguel was the fourth church to be carved and forms the eastern extent of the complex. The church includes three arched entrances. Two of these, as with the rest of the churches, are from the south. The third is from the east and follows the curve of the natural rock face. The east entrance was intended for the sole use of priests, as the beta lehem is built just beyond. Raquel is in a terrible condition and never received a tabot.

The inner walls are poorly worked and result in an irregular, almost circular plan. All three entrances descend within the church and that from the east is significantly raised due to the raised ground to the east of the complex. Three square columns form a church of four bays in width and two in depth. There are no arches or flat beams. A large portion of the ceiling has fallen away in the north of the church and a natural crack enables light to penetrate from high above. The collapsed rock has been left within the abandoned church, which appears never to have been completed. The north wall has two roughly formed entrances to a raised maqdas. The chamber is wider than it is deep and includes a manbara tabot carved from the mother rock.

 

Getting There:

The Checheho Complex is a five minute ascent from the roadside near Medhane Alem Checheho. The site is visible from the circular church of Kidhane Mehret, where the tabots are now kept.