Amde Birhan

St. Mary Church, Lalibela

At the center of St. Mary’s Church in Lalibela is a column rising from the floor to the ceiling called “Amde Birhan” or the “Pillar of Light.” The column is completely shrouded in cloth which is removed for no-one and this has generated several theories as to what it conceals. Many priests in Lalibela say that inscribed on the column are the Ten Commandments in Hebrew, Geez, and Greek. Others believe that the inscriptions reveal the secrets of the beginning and ending of humanity, while still others claim that King Lalibela personally wrote the various secrets of the churches on the column. One thing that the priests all agree upon is that it would be sacrilege to ever reveal the pillar to human eyes.

Amde Birhan, the "Pillar of Light"