WALKING IN THE LIGHT
LALIBELA, ETHIOPIA 2013
A priest descends the rough hewn stone steps of one of Lalibela’s eleven stone churches dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.
This church is carved from solid rock. There is a narrow courtyard surrounding the church. The shaft of light striking the priest enters from a break in the courtyard wall that opens to a corridor in the stone.
DESCENT INTO DARKNESS
A boy enters the thirty foot long tunnel…I think that’s what they told me…that connects two of the ancient stone churches. No light penetrated the tunnel. I don’t know how the Ethiopians did it. They had no flashlights. Luckily, I did. But I still kept a hand on the wall. The tunnel seemed to have been carved to fit the body of a gigantic worm. No surface that I could determine was flat.
Children like this boy were having fun racing through the darkness and popping out into the light. They were well behaved. No yelling. No shoving. The priest sitting beside me watched them without concern.
Those are just magnificent. By far my favorites of all you have sent. A good use for the word “awesome” for a change. Jerry
Thanks, Jerry. I especially like the photo of the priest in the shaft of light. I’m glad you like it, too.
Rosemary