The Church of Our lady of Muxima (in
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
, ''Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima'') is located in the
Muxima District of
Bengo Province
Bengo is a province of Angola. Its capital is Caxito. It has an area of 31,371 square kilometres, and its population as of the 2014 Census was 356,641. The province was created in 1980 by dividing the original province of Luanda into Bengo and ...
, western
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
.
[UNESCO World Heritage Centre.org: Tentative list − Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Muxima]
/ref>
The 16th century Portuguese Colonial style church was an important center in the
Portuguese slave trade in Angola.
History
The church stands on the left bank of the Kwanza River
The Kwanza River, also known as the Coanza, the Quanza, and the Cuanza, is one of the longest rivers in Angola. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean just south of the national capital Luanda.
Geography
The river is navigable for about from its ...
, and is a contemporary of the Fortress of C`Muxima' 7. The village of Muxirna was occupied by the Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
in 1589 and ten years later (1599), the Fortress was founded and the church was built with a prayer invoking divine blessing from "Nossa Senhora da Muxirna".[
Muxima was an important empire of slave traffic, protected by the Fortress, and the church played an important role in the materialization of the traffic, because it was in this religious local, where the slaves were baptized before being deported.
]
Architecture
It is spacious and strong building, with a stern, typically Portuguese architecture, built above the Kwanza River. It was set on fire by the colonial Dutch in 1641, when they captured Muxima. Later, it was modified.
The sanctuary, with a Virgin image, has been a place of great devotion for Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
pilgrims for generations. [
It was classified as National Monument by Portuguese Provincial Decree No. 2, on 12 January 1924. It is relatively in good order and belongs to the ]Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. The responsibility for its maintenance and preservation concerns the Ministry of Culture. [
]
World Heritage Status
This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
on November 22, 1996, in the Cultural category.Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceiçào da Muxima - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
See also
* Portuguese colonisation of Africa
Notes
References
*Valdez, F. T. (1861), Six Years of a Traveller's Life in Western Africa, Vol. II, Hurst and Blackett.
Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceiçào da Muxima - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Bengo Province
Portuguese Angola
Roman Catholic churches in Angola
16th century in Angola
World Heritage Tentative List
{{Angola-church-stub