Founded in the 18th century under the reign of King Kpasse, the Python Temple of Ouidah is much more than a simple tourist site. It is the spiritual heart of Vodun, this ancestral religion that crossed the oceans with the millions of Africans deported during the slave trade.
King Kpasse, according to legend, transformed himself into a python to escape his enemies. Since then, the royal python (Python sebae) is venerated as a protective deity, a guardian spirit watching over the city of Ouidah and its inhabitants.