An inaugural ceremony would be held on November 21 for the completion of a preservation project at the rock-hewn church of Bete Golgotha Mickael in Lalibela, Ethiopia’s Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) disclosed. The renovation work, which took eleven months, utilized innovative, non-intrusive, and proven techniques which were piloted during a previous project in 2016 at Lalibela, according to ARCCH.
Studio Croci & Associati, an Italian preservation and conservation engineering company, did the structural design and the restoration works. It also conducted a survey using laser scanning and photogrammetry, according to Fanta Beyene, public relations directorate at the ARCCH. Local craftsmen were trained in the restoration techniques so that they could replicate their knowledge for future projects, he said.
The preservation work was funded with a grant from the U.S. Embassy through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). A total of $500,000 dollars (about 13.7 million Birr) was invested with an additional $119,500 dollars in matching funds from the World Monuments Fund. The U.S Embassy in the past has also supported the restoration of Bete Gabriel Rafael.
Using the lesson and experiences from the restoration works of Bete Gabriel Rafael and Bete Golgotha Mickael, ARCCH says preparations are underway to remove temporary shelters around five of the churches, eventually start renovation works.
The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela are carved from soft volcanic tuff, most of them attributed to the reign of eponymous king Lalibela of 12th– century. The site has symbolism as place of pilgrimage and an Ethiopian Jerusalem. The site been the object of several restoration campaigns; the main problem having been and still is the deterioration of the monolithic stone roofs of certain churches during the rainy season, as well as cracks in the exposed facades of several monuments.
Main Image: Ogive-shaped windows of Bete Golgotha Mickael, Ethiopia Observer file.
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