The blue roof
Like a tent.
Carmelahg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carmelahg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carmelahg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carmelahg — CC BY-SA 4.0
Our Lady of Arigbo Grotto is a Catholic pilgrimage site in Dassa-Zoumè, in the Collines department of central Benin. It lies at the foot of a hill of huge granite boulders, one of the many hills the area is known for. It is also listed among the country's protected areas, and thousands of pilgrims come each year. The grotto became a pilgrimage site in 1954. On 11 February that year Bishop Louis Parisot, the first bishop of Dahomey, blessed it before about six thousand people. He set a great illuminated cross on the hilltop and made the grotto the country's main centre of pilgrimage. A committee was later formed to organise the pilgrimages and develop the site. You see a white building with a curved blue roof like a tent, topped by a cross, before a wide paved square. Behind it rises a green hill crowned with huge grey granite boulders. The town has another large white cross at its Calvary square, and the rocky hills are visible across Dassa. It is about 3 km from central Dassa-Zoumè in a straight line and about 69 km from Abomey. Crowds peak at the main pilgrimage in August. Dress modestly, respect worshippers and do not photograph them without permission.
Like a tent.
On the hill.
Wide and paved.
Dassa-Zoumè, Collines department, Benin
Usually in August, when crowds are large.
Yes, with respect for the site and worshippers.