The church is located in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia, some 645 km from Addis Ababa, and what is interesting about the church, it was carved downward into a rock.
The church was carved from a type of limestone called tufa and the sole building material used in the structure.
It has been dated to the late 12th century AD, and thought to have been constructed during the reign of King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela, of the late Zagwe dynasty.