Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká
Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká is a historic Candomblé temple (or terreiro, in Portuguese) in the city of Salvador, Bahia, in northeastern Brazil. It is also known as the Casa Branca do Engenho Velho, or simply the Casa Branca. Located on a hill above Vasco da Gama, a busy avenue in the working-class neighborhood of Engenho Velho, the terreiro belongs to the Ketu branch of Candomblé, which is heavily influenced by the religious beliefs and practices of the Yoruba people. The earliest documents proving the temple's existence are from the late nineteenth century, but it was certainly founded much earlier, probably c. 1830. Since the 1940s, the religious community has been registered as a public entity under the name Sociedade Beneficente e Recreativa São Jorge do Engenho Velho.
| Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká | |
|---|---|
Interior of Casa Branca of Ilé Axé Iya Nassô Oká | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Candomblé |
| Sect | Ketu |
| Deity | Oxossi, Xango |
| Location | |
| Municipality | Salvador |
| State | Bahia |
| Country | Brazil |
| Geographic coordinates | 12.997081°S 38.494881°W |
National Historic Heritage of Brazil | |
| Designated | 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1067 |
Considered by many to be the oldest terreiro in Brazil, Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká was the first Afro-Brazilian temple to receive heritage status from the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). The terreiro's grounds cover an area of 6,800 square metres (73,000 sq ft), including a number of buildings that house shrines, personal residences and/or communal areas for temple members. The lush vegetation includes numerous plants and trees that are sacred to the deities of Candomblé's pantheon.