Co-ordinates: 11° 48’ 29’’ N, 38° 34’ 12’’ E

 

Location:

Demelash Giyorgis is found between Debre Zebit and Näfas Mäwča on the road from Woldiya to Debre Tabor, also known as the Chinese road. The site lies east of the Checheho complex and north west of the road. The church is carved into a south east rock face and visible from the roadside.

 

Church Description:

(by Tarn Philipp)

Demelash Giyorgis is an enormous undertaking by the late Abba Difar. The site marks a progression from his earlier work at the nearby Checheho complex, where four churches are carved immediately adjacent to one another. At Demelash Giyorgis the partition walls have been removed to form a single church over forty meters in width.

The church includes four entrances from the southeast. A single window is found between the two entrances to the right. The lateral entrances give access directly to the church while those at the centre lead to an entrance chamber. This chamber is greater in width than depth and formed by three free-standing columns. The space between the columns has been walled up to house three south entrances to the middle of the church. In addition to these, there are eleven free standing columns within the church. One found within the left entrance aligns with those that form the central entrance chamber. A second row of ten columns runs the width of the church. The two within the right-hand entrance are slightly further south.

The columns are four sided and massive, with shafts ranging from one to two and a half meters in width. There are no arches or roof beams and only the three columns to the north east include a single stepped base. The church includes seven adjacent maqdas chambers to the north west. Each chamber has two raised entrances and a rock-hewn manbara tabot. The ambition to have so many tabots is unprecedented, but perhaps takes inspiration from the old rock church of Yedibba Maryam, which includes a total of seven tabots. It should be noted that only the three maqdas chambers to the north are presently separated by hung cloth. The other four chambers, as well as several columns and much of the floor, appear incomplete.

Despite Demelash Giyorgis being incomplete, Abba Difar set to work on a second church of a similar scale and layout, below and to the south. This excavation includes an upper chamber and extends through the entire mountain, offering a magnificent view of the valley beyond. At the time of this visit, Abba Difar aged 80 and unwell, had reluctantly stopped carving. A nun, Emahoy Yeshiferede Weletegabriel, was continuing work intermittently. However, the immense effort required to complete the churches suggest they may remain as is for quite sometime.

 

Getting There:

The church is visible to the north west of the road between Debre Zebit and Medhane Alem Checheho. The proximity to the roadside means a hike is not required.