The Kongo kingdom, a large and centralized African state spanning parts of present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Angola, and Gabon, adopted Christianity as its state religion at the end of the 15th century. For the next two centuries, Portuguese missionaries introduced Christian (Catholic) crucifixes, devotional objects, and figures of saints, which were copied by local artists. Many of these became powerful objects that were incorporated into local beliefs and practices.