In Benin City, Edo State, there is one church that is different from every other church in Nigeria. It’s not Pentecostal nor Catholic. It’s not also Orthodox.The name is Holy ARUOSA Cathedral and unlike many Churches who have their spiritual leaders in their GOs, Pastors or Reverend Fathers, the Oba of Benin is its Spiritual Head shocking, isn’t it?
This is the story of how tradition, spirituality, and kingship merged into one institution. What Is Holy Aruosa? Aruosa means“God Almighty” or “The Supreme God” in Bini language. As such, Holy Aruosa is the official traditional religion of the Benin people.
City People investigation reveals that the development remained so until 1960 when it was formalized into a church structure to give it organization while keeping Bini traditional cosmology intact. Holy Aruosa Cathedral is a church in structure with priests, worship days, hymns, and sermons as one would find in any other traditional church.The ARUOSA is regarded as a temple in spirit and rooted in over 500 years of Benin ancestral worship, divination, and reverence to the Oba.
This church is strategically located right in the heart of the ancient Kingdom. Perhaps it is pertinent to know why the Oba is the Spiritual Head. In Benin cosmology, the Oba is not just a king. He is regarded as the bridge between the living, the ancestors, and Olokun/God.
It is believed that Osanobua is the Almighty God and creator of heaven and earth.And the Oba is God’s representative on earth. He mediates between the people and God.He presides over deities ,Ebo ,Erha, Olokun, etc …who guide the people.
Because of this, every major spiritual matter in Bini must pass through the Palace. The Oba performs rituals for the land, for peace, for harvest and for protection of the kingdom. If the Oba doesn’t do it, the land is considered vulnerable. That’s why when Holy Aruosa was formed, the Oba was automatically made its Spiritual Head and Grand Patron.
How The Church Works: Although the Holy Aruosa Cathedral in outlook feels like the modern day church, the worship is however uniquely different.
Thursdays are the main day of worship and considered sacred in Benin tradition. There are Ohen, the traditional Priests, who lead prayers. But all authority comes from the Oba. You’ll see Benin coral beads, ancestral staffs, white chalk and kolanut during service while prayers are done in traditional Bini language, with songs, drumming, and invocation of ancestors and Osanobua (God) to intercede on people’s behalf.
The church has a board but no major decision is taken without the Palace’s blessing. Members are mostly Benin people at home and in the diaspora who want to worship the Lord without abandoning their culture.
The Oba’s influence in Holy Aruosa is total. Any new teaching, festival date or ritual must be approved by the Palace. And the Oba defines what is, in line with Benin tradition.
Appointment of Priests and church officials are presented to the Oba for blessings. Without the Palace’s approval, they cannot function. The Oba uses the church to unite Benin people globally.
During Igue Festival and New Yam, the Cathedral holds special services directed by the Palace. When there are crises in Edo State, chieftaincy disputes, land issues, communal problems , the Oba will often address the people through Holy Aruosa. The message carries both spiritual and royal weight.Through the church, the Oba ensures Benin language, dressing, names, and values are not lost to foreign religion.
Oba Ewuare II has been very vocal about this: “We can serve God without losing our identity as Benin people,” he once said .
Proponents of the Holy ARUOSA led by the Oba says:one can be Christian in faith but Benin in practice. Many members also attend other churches but come to Aruosa for ancestral rites.It doesn’t end there as ARUOSA, over the years, have brought in Tourists who come to the Kingdom just to visit the Palace and worship at the Cathedral to understand Benin spirituality deeply.
The Oba uses the church as one of his strongest tools to keep the Kingdom united across Nigeria and the world.
Holy Aruosa Cathedral is not just a church,its a spiritual parliament of the Benin Kingdom where the Oba reigns as both King and Spiritual Father.Thus,the Oba’s influence means that in Beninland, religion and kingship cannot be separated. To understand Benin, you must understand that the Oba speaks to God for the people and the people listen through institutions like Holy Aruosa.
The Holy Aruosa Cathedral is approximately over 500 years old, having been established in 1517 during the reign of Oba Esigie. Some historical perspectives suggest the foundational roots of the building may stretch back even further, making it the oldest place of worship of its kind in West Africa. This historic cathedral serves as a unique blend of ancient Edo spirituality and early foreign contact. It is distinct in that it is not a traditional Christian church, but rather the national shrine where the Oba of Benin and his followers worship the Supreme Being, Osanobua.
Wole Alakija
08055001823
