Biete Medhane Alem — the House of the Saviour of the World — is the largest rock-hewn church at Lalibela and, by some estimates, the largest rock-cut church anywhere on earth. Measuring roughly 33 metres long, 23 metres wide, and 11 metres high, the structure was carved as a monolith from the surrounding red volcanic tufa, so that the entire building, including its forest of 72 exterior and interior columns, emerged from a single block of rock.
The church sits within a large courtyard sunk deep into the earth and is approached through a narrow trench. Inside, the space is cavernous and dimly lit, with carved decorations on the capitals and a series of tombs said to contain the remains of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The original wooden ark — replicated in every Ethiopian Orthodox church — is stored here under wraps and never displayed. Priests in white robes attend the church daily, and services are held in the ancient liturgical language of Ge'ez. During Timkat (Ethiopian Epiphany, usually in January), the courtyard fills with thousands of white-robed pilgrims and the ceremony runs through the night by candlelight.