Gebre Mesqel Lalibela was an Ethiopian monarch of the Zagwe dynasty who ruled from 1181 to 1221. Born around 1200, he is most famous for commissioning the construction of the monolithic rock-hewn churches in his namesake city. Following the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin, he sought to establish a new holy center in Ethiopia, naming many local features after biblical locations. He is recognized as a saint within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition.