Christiana Abiodun Emanuel

Did You Know?

• She was born in the Republic of Benin in 1907.
• In 1920, she moved to Lagos, Nigeria to train as a seamstress.
• She married George Orisanya Emanuel, a civil servant, in 1942.

Founding the Cherubim and Seraphim

In 1925, while watching a Catholic Corpus Christi procession, Emanuel fell into a lengthy trance and awoke after healer Moses Orimolade prayed for her. She claimed angels had taken her to heaven. Orimolade founded an interdenominational prayer group, the Cherubim and Seraphim, as visitors came to hear of her visions. In 1927, she led an evangelical tour of Western Nigeria condemning traditional gods. In 1928, the group became an independent church within the Aladura tradition.

Schism and reconciliation

In 1929, a schism occurred when Emanuel founded the Cherubim and Seraphim Society and Orimolade founded the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim. The split stemmed from disputes over female leadership; Emanuel demanded recognition as co-founder, which Orimolade denied. Over ten separate sects eventually formed. After Orimolade's death, Emanuel campaigned to be supreme head, claiming discrimination as a woman. In 1986, she was reinstalled as leader of a united Cherubim and Seraphim Church.