bete giyorgis (church of st. george) in lalibela, ethiopia, is in my opinion the most incredible and impressive rock-hewn church on earth. as you look at these photos, remember that the entire building was carved and chiselled from a single piece rock, a structure which itself had to be isolated from the mass of rock that now surrounds it. the whole thing just astounds me.
we'll start from above.
above: an amazing aerial view of the church. note the carved out passageway to the right which is actually the only way to reach the building unless you fancy falling 40ft and breaking some bones.
above: the people standing near the lip of the trench give some sense of scale. it definitely wasn't a small project to undertake, especially as it was dug and carved c.1220.
above: the roof of the church, which was once just another section of flat ground, forms a greek cross.
above: see the holes in the surrounding walls of the pit? some are home to the remains of former monks and others house current priests.
above: thankfully this incredible structure, and its neighbouring churches, are unesco world heritage sites.
there are plenty more photos on flickr. if you're impressed by this, i'd also recommend taking a look at the ancient city of petra.