Obatala Shrine: Decorative Wall Under Renovation

The Ọbàtálá Shrine Complex was constructed between 1962 and 1968 and comprises three Shrines: Obatala, Alájere and Sanponna.
The Obatala Shrine is dedicated to the Deity of Creation. Its three parts house a trio of Orisa (deities). It was one of the early Shrines created by the New Sacred Art Movement in the early 1960s within the Osun Grove.
The Shrines are outstanding works of art and are richly decorated inside and outside. Magnificent sculpted flowers form part of the cave-like interior sculptural spaces within the Obatala Shrine. At the end of one of these sculpted corridors lies a sculpture of Obatala. At the other end one comes to a spiral staircase that leads to a special upper room used for quiet contemplation.
Parts of the Shrine were destroyed by anti-traditionalists in the 1960s and were rebuilt by Susanne Wenger and Adebisi Akanji in the late 1970s.
As with all the Shrines and works of art in the Sacred Groves, the Obatala Complex was created using cement reinforced by iron rods and netting. To save money at the time often mud was used as a core building block then covered with cement using only a few iron rods. Over time the mud core would weaken and need rebuilding. From 2006 to 2009 the New Sacred Art Movement and the Adunni Olorisha Trust completely restored the Ọbàtálá Shrine Complex, this time using only cement with metal reinforcement. The lead artist was Adebisi Akanji, who also was a key artist in the Shrine’s creation in the early years working together with his son, Nurudeen.