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Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá

Salvador, Brazil · built 1910

Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá
Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá, also known as Centro Santa Cruz Axé of Opó Afonjá or Casa de Xangô, is a Candomblé terreiro in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It was founded by Eugênia Anna Santos (1869-1938), better known as Mãe Aninha, in 1910. The terreiro is located in the Cabula neighborhood on Rua de São Gonçalo do Retiro. Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá was the second Afro-Brazilian religious place of worship to receive heritage status from the Brazilian National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN). Ilê Axé Opó Afonjá was formed in 1910 by a group that separated from Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká, or the Casa Branca do Engenho Velho. It is one of the primary temples of the Ketu sect of Candomblé. A terreiro of the same name was founded by Mãe Aninha in Rio de Janeiro. In 1967 the Terreiro was visited by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir who were invited by Jorge Amado and Zélia Gattai.

Monument data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

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