Muxima, Marian Shrine

Muxima is a small town on the banks of the Kwanza river, in the municipality of Quiçama, and it is the largest Marian shrine in Angola. The church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception), whom the faithful call Mamã Muxima, was founded in 1599, ten years after the Portuguese occupied the area, together with a fortress. Muxima means heart in Kimbundu.

Every year, in early September, the pilgrimage brings crowds to the town that have been estimated at close to a million people. There are also large celebrations at Easter and on other Marian feast days.

The shrine is being redeveloped, with a new basilica for more than 4 600 worshippers and a square for pilgrims. On 19 April 2026 Pope Leo XIV visited the shrine, where he prayed the rosary with thousands of the faithful.

Outside the pilgrimage dates the town is quiet, and the view over the Kwanza, with the small white church and the ruins of the fortress, is worth the trip from Luanda, more than 130 km away.