Biete Gebriel-Rufael or Biet Gabriel and Rafael is an Ethiopian Orthodox church located in Lalibela, Amhara, Ethiopia.
It is a formidable building, of the hypogeum type. Flanked to the north by gigantic arcades, it is perched on a plinth, crowned with terraces and parapets, cut by trenches. A cistern, or ditch, is visible at the foot of the north facade. Inside, the main pillar is 16m high. The whole building measures 19.5 by 17.5 m according to some authors 26.2 by 12.4 m according to others.
With its extensive view over the plain, the House of the Angels Gabriel and Raphael seem to be more of a fortress than a religious monument. It may have been a royal residence.
The upper part of teh House of the Angels Gabriel and Raphael is reached by a steep path leading to a single low and irregular door which seems more like the entrance to a cave than that of a church. This church looks like a cave because, according to Peter Eeckhout, it was an ancient building that had been excavated by the pagans and then turned into a church. This is proven by the direction of the windows of this building. Indeed, the windows were pierced towards the east, as required by the Christian religion. The contrast between the low irregular door and the carved porches of the other churches as well as its difficult access would symbolically represent the “Door of Paradise”; everyone must therefore know that entering is difficult.
Inside are two rooms used as chapels dedicated to Raphael and Gabriel, where an altar stands. This altar has an inscription in Geez which is a dedication of King Gebre Mesqel Lalibela addressing a prayer of thanks to the Archangel Gabriel, dedicating this altar to him.
Near the site, two tunnels emerge which lead, one to the House of Saint George (Bet Giyorgis) for several hundred meters towards the west and the other towards the east for about 50 m towards the other churches of the group.
Source: Bete Gebriel-Rufael - Wikipédia