| Casa das Minas | |
|---|---|
 Exterior of Casa das Minas | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Tambor de Mina |
| Year consecrated | 1840s |
| Location | |
| Municipality | São Luís |
| State | Maranhão |
| Country | Brazil |
  Location of Casa das Minas in Brazil | |
| Geographic coordinates | 2°32′18″S 44°17′53″W / 2.538336°S 44.297969°W |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Maria Jesuína |
| Interior area | 660 square metres (7,100 sq ft) |
| Designated | 2002 |
| Reference no. | 1464 |
The Casa das Minas, or Querebentã Toi Zomadonu, is a-19th century Afro-Brazilian temple in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. It is located on Rua de São Pantaleão in the Historic Center of the city. It belongs to the Tambor de Mina, an Afro-Brazilian religion in Maranhão and the Amazon. The Tambor de Mina was established in São Luís in the 1840s by Maria Jesuína, a Dahomean (jeje) noblewoman from present-day Benin, as attested by a deed dated 1847.[1][2][3]
The Casa das Minas is the only house of the Dahomean jeje tradition in Maranhão; the others are of Yoruba (nagô) origin in present-day Benin and Nigeria. The temple was persecuted by government authorities in the Estado Novo (1937–1946) period. Afro-Brazilian temples were removed from the Historic Center of São Luís, but after much pressure, the Casa das Minas and Casa de Nagô were allowed to remain, given their historical value. The temple became a focus of research in the same period, and Pierre Verger, among others, studied and worked at the temple. The Casa das Minas is noted for its liturgy and rich use of percussion instruments; its matriarchal lineage; and popular religious festivals.[2][3]
The Casa das Minas was listed as a federal monument by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) in 2002.[1]