Caconda Catholic Mission

In an apparently inhospitable place, far from the urban center and off the main road route (about seven km from the headquarters of the Municipality of Caconda, north of Huíla Province), stands the Church dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Church of the Caconda Mission.
History:
Caconda is believed to have been one of the oldest and most advanced points of Portuguese colonial occupation in the central plateau region. History tells that the first Portuguese attempts to establish themselves in Caconda date back to the second half of the 18th century, when a fortress and a parish church dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception were built using rammed earth and adobe.
Keilling, in his book entitled “40 Years in Africa”, reveals that during this period Kaconda was already inhabited by a white population (settlers). Keilling further states that, due to the conflicts between the African population and the Portuguese, there was an alliance in the region among several Sobas (Bondo, Kitata, Tchilombo, Galangue and others), who launched attacks against the Portuguese military outpost established there under the name Hanha.
According to Manuel Nunes Gabriel in “Patterns of Faith, the Ancient Churches of Angola”, this alliance was eventually defeated, and Soba Galangue was forced to declare himself a vassal of Portugal.
One of this Soba’s daughters, named Tchilombo, was educated in Benguela, where she lived with a wealthy merchant. They had a daughter whom they named Maria Caconda. Years later, Tchilombo left Benguela and returned to Caconda with her daughter.
Meanwhile, the Caconda region became an important center for the slave trade and the concentration of enslaved people brought from the interior.
They were gathered there before being sent to Benguela, from where they were transported to various destinations, particularly the Americas.
At the same time, Christianity flourished in Caconda!
The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans) arrived in Caconda in 1889, led by Father Ernesto Lecomte. They settled next to the fortress, in the southern part of the settlement. One year later, in 1890, it was decided to move the Mission away from the original village to a new location.
At that same time (1890) and in that same place, Father Lecomte founded the new Caconda Mission at the new site, which went on to play an important role in the evangelization of the entire plateau, enabling the formation of communities that later gave rise to other Christianization "projects" in neighboring territories (Bié, Huambo, etc.).
The construction of the railway led the Spiritans on the plateau to move their headquarters to the Huambo Mission, taking part of the staff and a printing press with them. Consequently, the old Caconda Mission eventually declined.
In 1892, the first Sisters of the Congregation of Saint Joseph of Cluny arrived, and from then on they carried out an important mission among the local communities.
From that time onward, agricultural activity expanded with irrigated fields, vegetable gardens, and orchards; and other essential structures were built for the Mission's establishment, namely residences for the missionaries, two boarding schools (one for boys and one for girls), arts and crafts workshops, etc.
Also affected by the consequences of the First World War in Europe and by the famine that struck southern Angola between 1915 and 1916, the Mission only regained its strength from the end of 1920 onward, with mills, various workshops, and a ceramics factory. These infrastructures brought new life to the Mission.
The greatest symbol of this recovery was the construction of the new church. Begun in 1927 under the direction of Brother Crisóstomo and inaugurated in 1932, it was considered at the time, and still today, one of the most imposing and beautiful examples of 20th-century religious architecture in Angola.
It measures approximately sixty meters in length along the central nave, features several chapels, and has a tower in a medieval, Neo-Romanesque style, built with solid brick.
The project was designed and supervised by Brother Crisóstomo and was built entirely with local labor and locally produced and/or prepared materials, from granite and finished timber to bricks and roof tiles.
Electricity was supplied by a hydraulic turbine, which marked a new phase in the life of the Mission. The church survived the civil war relatively unscathed.
Today, it still preserves most of its annex buildings relatively intact, although almost all of them are in a state of deterioration.
Part of this architectural complex is an old cemetery, founded in 1892, where the remains of missionaries who died under various circumstances are buried, including the graves of priests who were devoured by lions.
Classification as National Historical and Cultural Heritage
Considered one of the finest examples of 20th-century religious architecture in Angola, the Ministry of Culture decided to classify the Church of the Kaconda Mission through Executive Decree No. 5/14, issued by the Minister of Culture on April 18, the date on which the International Day for Monuments and Sites is celebrated.
It is, in fact, a testimony to the establishment of Christianity in Angola's plateau region, which enabled the spread of evangelization activities among the populations of neighboring territories throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Its classification as part of the country's built historical heritage is fully justified, while also drawing attention to its clearly visible state of deterioration.
Religious Architecture
Located about five kilometers from the original village, the Catholic Mission of Caconda exemplifies the concept of a mission as an influential and almost self-sufficient center, often surpassing the State in terms of facilities and services provided.
When the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit arrived in Caconda in 1889 under the leadership of Father Lecomte, they settled next to the fortress, in the southern part of the settlement.
One year later, it was decided to move the Mission away from the village.
At the new location (from 1890 onward), irrigated fields, vegetable gardens, and orchards were established, while buildings such as missionary residences, two boarding schools (male and female), workshops, a printing press, and others were gradually constructed.
The construction of the railway caused the Spiritans on the plateau to transfer their headquarters to the Huambo Mission, taking with them part of the staff and the printing press. The old Caconda Mission declined, also affected by the effects of the First World War in Europe and by the famine that devastated southern Angola in 1915 and 1916. However, from the late 1920s onward, it regained its vitality with mills, several workshops, and a ceramics factory.
The greatest symbol of this recovery was the construction of the new church, inaugurated in 1932, considered at the time the most imposing and beautiful church in Angola.
Measuring sixty meters in length along the central nave, with several chapels and a tower in a medievalist Neo-Romanesque style using solid brick, the building was designed and supervised by Brother Crisóstomo and constructed entirely with local materials and labor, from granite and finished timber to bricks and roof tiles.
Electricity supplied by a hydraulic turbine completed the Mission's new phase.
The church survived the war relatively intact.
The main buildings have recently undergone restoration works, although most of the annex buildings and the entire women's section are currently in an advanced state of deterioration.
The Catholic Mission of Caconda is located northeast of the Municipality of Caconda, northeast of the Caconda Municipal Headquarters. The Catholic Mission of Caconda (Immaculate Heart of Mary) was founded in 1889 by Father Ernesto Leconth, a French national, in the 20th century.
It was elevated to the status of Cultural Heritage on April 15, 2014, through an Executive Decree issued by Her Excellency the Minister of Culture, Rosa Silva.
It is located 6 km from the Municipal Administration, and the access road is in reasonable condition.