Orixa tradition

Umbanda
means life

The religion that builds bridges
Umbanda
Umbanda means freedom, joy of life, consciousness and life in the intensity of one's own truth. We stand in the Orixá tradition, which has its roots in the African Yoruba and comes to us from Brazil. Umbanda forms a connection to the divine by means of the natural elements of air, fire, water and earth. Rituals, prayers and singing create an inner movement that allows universal energy to flow. The encounter with the spiritual world helps us to create an awareness of ourselves and our own path. Umbanda is the religion that builds bridges. It is open to people of any religion. We integrate instead of exclude, because we live in the conviction that "THE ONE" truth does not exist.

Casa St. Michael
"Casa St. Michael" in Cologne is the largest Umbanda Terreiro in Germany and is sustained by the Ialaô Mãe Gabriele, the Mães and Pais and the Filhos de Santo. People arrive in this house for very different reasons: they may be in search of themselves, of the meaning of life, of lived spirituality, some are sick or don’t know how to go on. We create rituals of healing, protection and purification. Our doors are open for everyone. Here is a place where you can encounter yourself and others, a house of consciousness and spiritual teaching.

Orixá tradition from Brazil

Our roots
Casa St. Michael stands in the spiritual lineage of Casa São Lázaro from São Paulo.
Our mother house Casa São Lázaro was founded around 1950 in São Paulo by the Portuguese Dona Maria de Lourdes da Silva and Senhor Antônio Martins.
After the death of the founders, the house closed in the 90s until it was reopened in 1996 by Pai Alexandre Meireles.


Umbanda in Germany
The story of Casa St. Michael begins with Gabriele Hilgers, who had her first experience with Umbanda in Brazil in the house of São Lázaro. After two years of getting to know and experiencing Umbanda she founded her house Casa St. Michael in Grevenbroich, Germany, in 2006 and was consecrated great Mãe no Santo by Pai Alexandre in São Paulo in January 2009. Our house was in different locations until it finally arrived in Cologne in 2018.