Arch of the Flying Tortoise

This outstanding cement sculpted arch was the original entrance to the Sacred Groves. The Arch is sculpted with cement reinforced with iron rods and netting. The meaning behind the flying tortoise motif is described by Susanne Wenger as follows: “In many cultures the tortoise represents matter—the opaque and heavy aspects of the divine. But nothing can keep its heaviness intact when entering the precincts of Osun’s influence.” The Arch had collapsed completely many years ago. But in a major feat of restoration, in 2014, it was recreated from photographs and memory by New Sacred Art Movement artists Adebisi Akanji and Adebisi Nurudeen. A plaque on an adjoining wall commemorates the role played by the Austrian Government, which funded the restoration work.