Ojúbọ Òṣogbo - the main Ọ̀ṣun Shrine

The main Ọ̀ṣun Shrine is dedicated to the goddess Ọ̀ṣun and is the central place of worship in the Groves and is sometimes called “The first palace” (which is a reference to the creation myth of Òṣogbo). The culmination of the annual Ọ̀ṣun Festival, which lasts 16 days, is the procession of devotees to the Ọ̀ṣun Shrine led by the Arugbá, the “votary maid” who carries the ritual, sacrificial objects.
Devotees come to the shrine throughout the year to consult with Ọ̀ṣun priests and priestesses and to make offerings to the goddess.
The Ọ̀ṣun Shrine was the first shrine within the groves that the Ọ̀ṣun priests and priestesses asked Susanne Wenger to rebuild in 1960 as it had been infested by white ants and was nearly totally collapsed. It is rectangular with many sculpted pillars representing “the recreative” aspect of Ọ̀ṣun: birth, decline, decay and rebirth. The entry features wooden posts and stone sculptures carved by New Sacred Movement artist Buraimoh Gbadamosi and cement sculptures of deities and devotees created by Saka Aremu.

The outer and inner walls are highly decorated with wall paintings created by the only two female New Sacred Art Movement artists, Foyeke and Songo Tundun, who also created the wall shrine art in Susanne Wenger’s house.
Shrine wall paintings are a symbolic visual art form, which communicate messages to the Gods and are a traditionally female domain in Yorùbá culture.
Fortunately, Foyeke’s grandson, Kujenyo Kehinde Sango, who had been carried on his grandmother’s back while she created the original art in the 1960’s, was able to recreate these magnificent works of art in the Ọ̀ṣun Shrine after its restoration in 2019.

Inside the door there is a courtyard and an inner sanctum where important ritual objects are kept and where rituals are performed.
A large stone facing the inner sanctum serves as a seat reserved for His Royal Majesty, the Atáọ́ja of Òṣogbo, the head of all traditions in the town, including the Sacred Groves and the Ọ̀ṣun Festival.
The shrine had deteriorated again over the decades and extensive restoration was carried out in 2019 led by Sangodare Ajala, leader of the New Sacred Art Movement and the Restoration Team. Adebisi Nurudeen was the lead restoration artist assisted by Adeyemi Oseni.