Holy Aruosa Cathedral, Benin City — Local services in Edo State

The Holy Aruosa Cathedral is a historic worship place for the Benin people.

Partly, a symbol of the early Christian influence on the Benin culture, the structure was initially built by the Portugese as a place of worship during their expedition to Benin City, in 1506 it became known as the Holy Aruosa Cathedral, under the then leadership of Oba Esigie.

The Church, said to be the oldest church in Africa, was established by the Portuguese before they started the Roman Catholic and other churches. Today, it is common to see tourists from America and Europe visiting the church. The purpose of their visit is to come and see the first church in Nigeria because according to them, they have seen that the establishment of churches in Nigeria have...

wow i was impressed to find out about this place from my visit of the national museum benin. I found it a shame that its not listed as one of the attractions to see in benin. It was the first church built in Benin in 1517 and it is still in great condition. In fact it's in daily use but the Preacher inside didnt careless about giving us information about the church, he just asked us not to take pictures of the church from inside.

Interestingly enough it's a mixture of the traditional benin religion and the christian faith. At the church altar you find traditional benin swords and the walls have drawings from the benin culture. The walls are the traditional colors of red and white. It should definitely be given...

Located at Akpakpava in Benin city, it is known to be the church of the Oba & the elderly binis, thou the church is very open to the public... Combination of catholic & traditional rites... Oldest church in Benin city(maybe one of the oldest in 9ja) dates back to the coming of the Portuguese to...