Lubango: Chapel History and Serra da Chela

Lubango brings together the history of the Capela da Nossa Senhora do Monte and a museum whose perspective encompasses Angola’s four southern provinces. The landscape also draws visitors to the Serra da Chela: the Cristo Rei Viewpoint lies south of the city. This creates different travel interests – cultural history in Lubango and scenic destinations in the surrounding area.

Chapel and religious history

The construction history of the Capela da Nossa Senhora do Monte spans several stages. The first, still unfinished building was inaugurated with an outdoor Mass on 15 August 1902. On 14 August 1903, the local priest blessed its completion. A larger Capela da Nossa Senhora do Monte, designed by João Henrique de Azevedo, was inaugurated in 1921. Its development as a place of worship can therefore be traced through several historical moments.

The Procissão das Velas also connects the city’s religious sites. It began after the statue had been taken to the park from the early 1930s onwards. During the procession, it is accompanied along the route between the Capela da Nossa Senhora do Monte and the Sé Catedral do Lubango. The procession adds a religious tradition of Lubango to the chapel’s construction history.

A museum with a regional perspective

The Huíla Regional Museum was founded in 1957 by Peixoto Correia; Machado da Cruz was its first curator. Its cultural perspective encompasses the four southern provinces of Huíla, Namibe, Cunene and Kuando Kubango. It therefore looks beyond the history of a single place to regional cultures – a different focus from the chapel’s construction history.

The Museu Regional da Huíla also has a garden with statues of Artur de Paiva and João de Almeida, as well as busts of Luís de Camões, D. José da Câmara Leme and Agapito de Carvalho. These named works add a specific feature of the museum grounds to its regional collection theme.

Cultural sites in the surrounding area

Barracões, a site classified as having historical and cultural significance, lies about eight kilometres east of Lubango. Madeiran settlers established themselves there in 1885 and founded the colony of Sá da Bandeira, now Lubango. Barracões includes the settlers’ first homes, their cemetery, the Marco Zero and a chapel where the first Mass was celebrated. These different features bring together settlement history, a place of remembrance and religious history at a site in the surrounding area.

Landscapes south of the city

The Cristo Rei Viewpoint lies south of the city of Lubango in the Serra da Chela mountains. Its location differs from that of the chapel and museum, whose histories are directly connected to Lubango. This distinction helps you consider the city’s cultural sites and the scenic area to its south as different travel interests.

The Huila Waterfall is another destination in the surrounding area. It is in Huila municipality, 20 kilometres from the administrative centre of Lubango municipality. There is a small garden by the waterfall, which people visit to relax. While the viewpoint is defined by its location in the mountains, the garden by the waterfall offers a specific opportunity to unwind.

Choose a holiday apartment to suit your travel interests

When looking for a holiday apartment in Lubango, your travel interests can help you decide: would you like to focus on the city’s cultural history, or also plan visits to places in the surrounding area? When comparing specific listings, check their stated location against the places that matter to you.

Discover more destinations: Sumbe, Huambo, Benguela.

Return to the main travel overview: Angola.