This is typical of the rather plaintive letters written by Dom Afonso of Kongo to the kings of Portugal. Afonso felt increasingly isolated in his attempt to impose the Christian cult in Kongo and became ever more reliant on the support of the Portuguese Crown – support which was dependent on the continuation of the slave trade (see Doc. 36). The letter refers to the building of the church of Nossa Senhora da Vitória (so named to commemorate Afonso's victory over his rivals) on the site of the royal graves. This involved destroying the grove of trees that had previously protected the burial ground and had been the focus of the cult of the royal ancestors in the previous reign. The building of this church was an important step in consolidating Christianity as a royal burial cult. It seems that Afonso was making some attempt to apply diplomatic pressure by hinting that approaches might be made to the kings of Castile and France, although it is unlikely that he seriously considered seeking support from any quarter other than Portugal.