17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
The Not-So-Straight and Narrow Path to Church

An Ethiopian Orthodox priest walks a safe distance from the edge of the cliff on his way to one of the rock-hewn churches that dot the mountains of Tigray. The wires are for two things, lights that help guide the faithful who climb in the dark to pre-dawn services at the active churches, and loudspeakers above the church doors to call from the mountaintops to believers below.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 05.2018
Date Uploaded: 11.2019
Photo Location: Hawzen, Ethiopia
Camera: ILCE-7M2
Copyright: © John Dwyer