Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove

The Osun-Osogbo grove is a strip of dense forest along the Osun river on the edge of Osogbo, the last of the sacred groves that once stood outside every Yoruba town. It is the dwelling place of Osun, the goddess of fertility, and holds shrines, sanctuaries and sculptures placed among the trees. Much of the sculpture is the work of the Austrian artist Susanne Wenger and the New Sacred Art movement she founded with local artists, who rebuilt the shrines in cement and iron from the 1950s onward. The grove carries UNESCO World Heritage status.