National Slavery Museum

Created in 1977 by the National Institute of Cultural Heritage with the aim of publicizing the history of slavery in Angola, the National Slavery Museum has its headquarters in the Casa Grande Chapel, a 17th century temple where slaves were baptized before embarking. on the slave ships that took them to the American continent.
The museum, which brings together and exhibits hundreds of pieces used in the slave trade, is located on the former property of Grenadier Captain D. Álvaro de Carvalho Matoso, Knight of the Order of Christ.
He was the son of D. Pedro Matoso de Andrade, captain-general of the Ambaca, Muxima and Massangano prisons, in Angola, and one of the largest slave traders on the African coast in the first half of the 18th century.
After Álvaro died in 1798, his family and heirs continued to carry out the slave trade in the same place until 1836, when a decree by D. Maria II of Portugal began to prohibit Portuguese colonies from exporting slaves.
Another very relevant aspect to be highlighted is the connection between the National Slavery Museum and the crafts square in the town of Benfica.