Founded in the 6C (reconstructed in the 19C) by Emperor Kinmei, Shimogamo, along with its twin Kamigamo in the northwest, is one of the oldest shrines in the city. It is dedicated to the mountain god and his wife, the goddess of rivers, who are marvellously pampered in the heart of a large park irrigated by the Kamo-gawa River. A magnificent tree-lined avenue is the setting for the spectacular Hollyhock Festival (Aoi Matsuri), a long religious procession organised in mid-May as part of a purification ritual.