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The religious pilgrimage to Lalibela by Alan Gignoux

Alan Gignoux is a London-based photojournalist who specialises in human interest stories. In this series, he focuses on the religious pilgrimage to Lalibela, one of the centres of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhaedo Church.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist

The predominant oriental orthodox church in Ethiopia with 38 million members, the Tewhaedo church is also one of the few pre-colonial churches of sub-Saharan Africa. Tewhaedo is a Ge’ez word meaning “being made one” or “unified” and refers to the orthodox belief in the unified nature of Christ.

The origins of the church was the baptism of a member of the Ethiopian royal family by Philip the Evangelist; it became the established church of the Ethiopian Axumite Kingdom under King Ezana in the 4th century.

Lalibela is famous for its monolithic rock cut churches with the church of St. George’s being the most spectacular. Alan Gignoux has covered Alberta’s Tar Sands for Revolve, as well as Appalachian Mountaintopping, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, immigrants in Belgium, and more.

Rock-cut church structures carved into reddish stone at Lalibela, Ethiopia, with scattered trees and dry landscape visible in the background
Man wearing white head wrap and shawl stands in front of a painted religious icon inside a church in Lalibela, Ethiopia
Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrim dressed in white traditional garment and head covering, photographed in profile against burgundy curtains at Lalibela
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhaedo Church pilgrims wearing white robes and turbans hold wooden staffs during a religious procession in Lalibela
Two Ethiopian Orthodox pilgrims in white robes and head wrappings sit together, one holding a wooden staff and religious item wrapped in cloth
A priest in white robes and head covering stands in a stone church interior decorated with religious icons and frescoes, holding a ceremonial staff
Pilgrim in white robes descends stone steps into the carved entrance of a monolithic rock-cut church at Lalibela, Ethiopia
Pilgrims in white robes gather on stone steps outside a terracotta-coloured rock-cut church with crosses atop its towers during a religious service at Lalibela, Ethiopia
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