New Rock-Hewn Churches of Ethiopia

Co-ordinates: 13° 57' 36" N, 39° 36' 41" E

Location:

The new church of Peṭros Mälähay Zängi is located at the foot of a west-facing cliff below the old church of Peṭros wä-Pawlos in the Ṣä‘ada Ǝmba region of Tǝgray. The old church is primarily built and no longer in use. The site is two-and-a-half kilometres east of the Mäqälä-Adigrat road, near the small town of Teka Täsfaye.

Church Description:

Peṭros Mälähay Zängi was carved over a nine-year period (1997-2006) (Gregorian calendar) by the late Abba Ḥaläfomə Teka using basic metal tools. The new church is unsophisticated, modest in scale and does not compete with the great rock-hewn churches of Tǝgray.

Built stone walls extend west of the façade to form a high, walled courtyard. This enclosed area is roughly the same as the church, meaning the addition of a roof would double the church in size. The entrance to the courtyard is from the north and there are three windows on the west wall. A door opening on the south wall gives access to the beta lehem which is hewn into the rock face and concealed by a built wall. West of the courtyard and below the church are some graves. A hewn enclave to the north marks the abandoned beta lehem, which was relocated to the south.

The church façade, enclosed by the courtyard, is entirely built and painted white. It has an entrance on either end with a central window and three small upper openings. The entrance to the left is for men and that to the right for women. Within the west façade, north and south walls and a built roof run east to join the rock face. The extent of the built structure defines the qäññ maḫlet or narthex. The timber ceiling boasts traditional craftsmanship and depicts several square-in-diamonds with a central cross or circular stone.

The rock church omits a façade exposing an overhung space beyond the built narthex. The hollowed church widens within the rock. The rock is roughly carved, and the predominantly vertical marks left by the workman’s tools are visible. The church plan is irregular and lacks the discipline found in older rock-hewn churches. Peṭros Mälähay Zängi is three bays in depth if one includes the built narthex and maqdas. It is three bays in width, although the ‘aisles’ include intermediate columns placed at random.

There are five free-standing columns, none of which align. They omit a base and capitals, but the shafts widen at the top and bottom. The columns are partially formed as are the disappearing arches that spring from them. Two central columns, roughly rectangular in plan, are set back from the original rock face. The column to the south is set back noticeably further. The intermediate column of the south aisle is slightly east of its counterpart to the nave. The intermediate columns of the north aisle are set further east to align with the built wall of the central maqdas.

The wall of each aisle is concave and forms a rounded eastern chamber divided by a curtain. The central maqdas is built up on the west to separate the space from the body of the church. The built wall houses a timber door which gives access from the nave. The central maqdas also has access from the north chamber, which at present does not have a mänbärä tabätə. The ceiling of the north chamber has a half-sculpted protruding square block said to represent an Aksumite cross. A flat beam crosses the two free-standing intermediate columns of the north aisle. There are no other flat beams or roof carvings in the church. The flat ceiling is more or less the same throughout, but slightly domed by the arched columns, which enhances the plasticity of the church.

The church includes Holy Water which springs from the central maqdas. A small channel directs water to a shallow basin carved in the second bay of the north aisle. The old church of Peṭros wä-Paulos above also has a water source north of the church, at the rear of the cave. The south maqdas has a tabätə consecrated to Maryam and in the central maqdas there is a tabätə to Peṭros.

Getting There:

One can drive to within a two-minute walk of the church. The turn-off is south of the small settlement of Täka Täsfaye on the Mäqälä - Addigrat road. The church is also an easy twenty-minute walk from Täka Täsfaye. The old built cave church of Peṭros wä-Paulos is directly above and is frequently visited by tourists. The old church, which is no longer in use, includes wall paintings and is reached by a long makeshift ladder.

Dates Visited:

• 20 September 2015