Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela

Lalibela (Ge'ez: ላሊበላ), regnal name Gebre Meskel (Ge'ez: ገብረ መስቀል, romanized: gäbrä mäsqäl, lit. 'Servant of the Cross'), was a king of the Zagwe dynasty, reigning from 1181 to 1221.: 22 : 56n  He was the son of Jan Seyum and the brother of Kedus Harbe. Perhaps the best-known Zagwe monarch, he is credited as the patron of the namesake monolithic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela. He is venerated as a saint by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on 19 June. The life of Lalibela is recorded in his hagiography, Gadla Lalibela. According to the source, King Lalibela was born in 1162, at a town called Roha (it was later renamed Lalibela after him). He was the son of Jan Seyoum, the governor of Bugna in the province of Lasta. His mother's name was Kirwerna who was a housemaid in the service of Jan Seyoum. When she became pregnant by him, Jan Seyoum became angry and Kirwerna decided to flee to a place called Roha, where she gave birth to Lalibela. A swarm of bees was said to have surrounded him at his birth, which his mother took as a sign of his future power. Accordingly he was named "Lalibela", meaning "the bees recognise his sovereignty" in Old Agaw. Because of this prophecy, he was eventually forced into exile due to the hostility of his uncle Tatadim and his brother Kedus Harbe, who was rightful sovereign. He left for Jerusalem where he remained for many years, upon returning to Ethiopia, he married Meskel Kibra. However, as Harbe was intent on killing him, he was again forced to flee from Lasta with his wife. Ultimately Lalibela did seize the throne, but it is not known how he was able to achieve this. His Gadla does not explain how he rose to power. Because Lalibela came to power during his brother's lifetime, Taddesse Tamrat suspects that he took the crown by force of arms. According to a chronicle from Gojjam, faced with continued persecution by Harbe, Lalibela allied himself with the Amharas, promising them key positions if he succeeded.