The most beautiful religious buildings Degoum

This multi-cavity hypogeum sanctuary, located close to a more recent church, was almost certainly excavated in pre-Christian times before being converted into a church. For specialists, its unusual location on the plain and its small size prove its original function as a tomb. Unless we're dealing with a pagan place of worship, which could provide clues as to the origin of dug-out churches. But these are only hypotheses. After the rainy season, it's not unusual for the crypt to flood.

The church is hemmed in by narrow sandstone walls that open onto two doors, one for men, the other for women. The vast interior (10 m wide, 13 m deep and 6 m high) is surprisingly well decorated. The well-preserved paintings are in a primitive style unseen in the region. The iconography, featuring Adam and Eve, the Virgin and Child, the Apostle Paul and various equestrian saints from the Ethiopian tradition, is marked by Byzantine and Nubian influences. Impressive and mysterious.