-- Log 16a --

Each Church has it’s own processional cross and staff, and gowns. The priest will proudly show you the cross for their church. We understand that in this small village there are 600 priests. It is a pity that there did not appear to be any programmes to help the poor, destitute and staving beggars in the area.








Priest holding the cross of Lalibela in his right hand, and the resting stick in his left hand (the resting stick fits under the armpit – indicating the tallness of the King), with the tomb/ark of King Lalibela in the background.

The two basic types of crosses are the Greek cross which has equal straight arms, and the Latin cross, which has straight arms with the inferior one longer than the other three. These have been developed into a great number of very elaborate and artistic designs. Lalibela crosses very often have bird heads at the sides and have a crown of stylised human figures as symbols of the twelve apostles. The priests have developed a rich symbolism, every pattern having a different meaning.