The article is devoted to the history of the study of rock-hewn churches of the Temben district in the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia. The text provides an overview of the relatively small number of publications on this topic. Particular attention has been paid to the approaches of various authors to the classification and dating of the monuments. Mainly, local monuments are little-known, despite their preliminary lists compiled at the turn of 1960s —1970s. The historical interest in the rock-hewn churches of Tigray and especially of the Temben region is currently increasing and the comprehensive study of these churches is yet to be made.