The highest and most inaccessible church in the world: located 8,465 feet above the ground

Religious temples are often spectacular buildings found all over the world, featuring precise characteristics and details that leave travelers speechless. Some of the most famous temples and churches include the Sistine Chapel, Milan Cathedral, the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Ulun Danu Bratan Temple in Bali, and many more.

However, despite the beauty and spectacular nature of the world's most famous churches and temples, there are others that attract attention due to their strange location, the use of their interiors, the paintings hanging on their walls, or their striking and incredible decoration. We can find such constructions all over the world, but in Ethiopia there is one in particular that you won't believe exists.

If you think this church is going to be in an arid area, on top of an immense mountain, carved into the rock, with practically impossible access, at over 8,202 feet high and with stunning paintings inside, you are correct. Let's discover Abuna Yemata Guh.

We travel to Wored Hawzen, in Tigray, Ethiopia. Among its numerous reddish rocky mountains, a small hole at the very top of one catches our attention. We can see people walking towards it and the more adventurous ones climbing to reach that tiny opening. We are surprised to learn that here lies the highest and most inaccessible church in the world.

This religious temple is located at an astonishing height of 8,465 feet, and the only way to reach it is on foot along one of the most dangerous paths in the world. Abuna Yemata Guh is part of a group of 35 churches carved into the rock of Ethiopia that make up Gheralta, one of the most incredible wonders of our planet.

The church is built into the heart of a majestic rock column, and to visit it, you must pass through a series of obstacles and challenges that will put the traveler's life at risk, but it is said that no one has ever died there. The only way to reach it is on foot, crossing a large stone bridge that drops over 820 feet.

But that's not all; once across the bridge, the traveler must navigate a narrow and unstable wooden walkway before continuing the ascent up the vertical rock wall where the only vital support will be hand and foot grips for climbing. Additionally, this part of the passage with a 302-foot drop must be done completely barefoot as it is considered sacred ground, and wearing shoes is prohibited.

Those who embark on this challenging journey consider it a unique experience to encounter what is regarded as one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. When you finally reach the top, you find a small chapel or church inside a cave, with walls adorned with ancient frescoes and religious images, including the faces of nine apostles.

Although it may seem crazy, it is very common to see parents in Ethiopia carrying their newborn babies to Abuna Yemata Guh to baptize their children in this sacred place where you can almost touch the sky. Some of the priests who practiced their work in this enclave have also been buried there.

This site originated hundreds of years ago, in the 5th century, when one of the 9 most important saints who left from Syria, Constantinople, or Rome, known as Saint Abuna Yemata decided to bring Christianity to Ethiopia. There are many theories regarding the choice of this location for its establishment; some say it was to be closer to heaven, while others claim it was simply to protect the enclave from enemies.

The paintings date back to the early Ethiopian Christians, and we can see representations of saints and apostles that are hundreds of years old. Inside, a beautiful dome carved from rock and an ancient Bible decorate this mysterious place, which many consider worth risking their lives to witness.

We don't know if it is really necessary to put our lives in danger to experience the charms of this place, which could easily be considered one of the wonders of our planet. What we do know is that its beauty and location have made it one of the most impressive churches in the world, and it is a place to visit at least once in a lifetime, even if only from below.