Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
The Cathedral Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida rises in monumental scale above the town of Aparecida in Sao Paulo state, the largest Marian church in the world and the second-largest church overall after St. Peter's in Rome. Built between 1955 and 1980 in a Greek-cross plan of red brick, it can hold tens of thousands of worshippers beneath its towering central dome.
The shrine is dedicated to Nossa Senhora Aparecida, a small, dark terracotta image of the Virgin found by fishermen in the Paraiba do Sul River in 1717 and venerated as the patroness of Brazil. The statue is displayed in a glass case above the main altar, the focus of one of the largest pilgrimages in the Catholic world.
Each year the basilica draws millions of pilgrims, with vast crowds gathering for the October 12 feast of Our Lady Aparecida, a national holiday. Pope Francis visited in 2013 during World Youth Day, addressing a sea of devotees. The complex includes a passarela for pilgrims, towers, and chapels serving the constant flow of the faithful.
- Annual visitors
- ≈ 12,000,000
- Location
- -22.8504, -45.2338
- Local time
- 19:39 (America/Sao_Paulo)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sun | 06:00–21:00 |
Open daily roughly 05:00-22:00; widest practical visiting window given. Mass and museum hours vary.
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
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Our Lady of Aparecida Saint
Marian title and Patroness of Brazil; her original 1717 image is enshrined as the central object of veneration
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Joseph Saint
Has a dedicated chapel (Capela São José) to the left of the central altar
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Benedict the Moor (São Benedito) Saint
Long associated with the devotion at Aparecida and venerated locally
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John Paul II Saint
Relics venerated at the shrine; he donated mosaics framing the main-chapel sacrarium during his 1980 visit
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Frei Galvão (Antônio de Sant'Anna Galvão) Saint
First Brazilian-born saint, from neighboring Guaratinguetá; venerated within the Aparecida complex
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Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross) Saint
Venerated among the saints honored in the shrine's chapels
Care & donations
Redemptorist Missionaries / Archdiocese of Aparecida
Accepts offerings and donations from pilgrims
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