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| | Our Lady of Muxima is the most popular religious devotion in Angola that attracts 1000s of local and foreign tourists. The pilgrimage, organized by the Catholic Church, takes place at the Sanctuary of the Muxima Village, 130 kilometers North of Luanda, each year, late August or early September. Known as the Church of Our Lady of Muxima, the Sanctuary, with the image of the Virgin Mary, has been a venue of great devotion for the Catholic community since the 17th century. |
However, since 2005, several thousands of non-Catholic believers and even no-believers people have also been attending the event. About 250,000 people attended the event in 2010. Most of believers attend the event to address their worries and agonies and ask for the blessing of our Lady of Muxima in order to acquire their wellbeing related desires.
Muxima Church is built on the left border of the Kwanza River and it is a spacious and strong building with a typical stern of portuguese architecture, which makes it one of the most popular tourist's attractions in the country.
The Church of Our Lady of Muxima was considered an important national monument in 1924 and in November 1996 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, in the Cultural category.
The Our Lady Church of Muxima was founded in 1599, by Baltazar Rebelo de Aragão, at the time that Muxima village was an important empire in the slave trade. According to history, it was in this Church where the slaves were baptized before being deported.
