Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida
The Cathedral Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida () is a prominent Roman Catholic basilica in Aparecida, Brazil. It is dedicated to Our Lady Aparecida as the principal Patroness of Brazil. "Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida" roughly translates to "Our Lady of the Conception who appeared." It is the largest cathedral and the second largest Catholic church in the world in interior area after the St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City. History. The site has its origins in the finding of a statue of the Virgin Mary. According to local  tradition, three fishermen were attempting to catch a large amount of fish in the Paraíba River for a banquet honoring the visit of São Paulo Governor, Pedro de Almeida in 1717. Despite their prayers, their attempts were fruitless until late in the day, one of the fishermen cast his net and pulled it back to find the statue of the Virgin Mary. Upon his next cast, he found the head. The group cleaned the statue, wrapped it in cloth, and returned to their task to find their fortunes had changed and they were able to obtain all the fish they  needed. The statue is believed to be the work of Frei Agostino de Jesus, a monk residing in São Paulo. The statue was originally housed at the home of Felipe Pedroso, one of the fisherman who found it. This became a popular site for visitors wishing to pray to the statue, leading Pedroso's family to build a small chapel to house the statue. This was replaced in 1734 by a larger chapel, and then in 1834 by the first basilica on the site. In 1955, with pilgrimage numbers still growing, the construction work began on the present building, in  a site nearby. It has room for more than 30,000 people and is second in capacity after St. Peter's Basilica. The old wooden chapel was originally built in 1745. The old shrine is a modest church in the colonial style built between 1834 and 1888. Since that time, pious worshippers have termed it as a basilica. Due to the following conflicting accounts on dates, the Vatican has enumerated the following recorded Papal documents: New Basilica. Benedito Calixto Neto was the architect contracted for the design of the project and, in 1955, the construction of the new basilica started. The  structure is in the Romanesque Revival style and takes the form of a Greek Cross with arms in length and in width. The dome is high and the tower reaches a height of . The basilica contains of space. The main church hall can accommodate 30,000 people, which can expand to 300,000 during external celebrations. The grounds contain a shopping mall, medical clinic, restaurants and a parking lot that can hold 4,000 buses and 6,000 cars. On 4 July 1980, Pope John Paul II consecrated the sanctuary under the name Our Lady Aparecida while the building was still under construction. The  feast day for Our Lady Aparecida is 12 October. Pope Benedict XVI visited the Basilica of the Shrine of Aparecida on 12 May 2007, during his Apostolic Journey to Brazil on the occasion of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean. During his visit, the Pope awarded the Shrine a Golden Rose. On the occasion of World Youth Day, Pope Francis visited the basilica on 24 July 2013, celebrating mass there. Main pilgrimage center for the Catholic Church in Brazil, the National Shrine of Aparecida was recognized by the Vatican as the Archdiocesan Cathedral  of Aparecida on 12 November 2016, being since then an official Bishop church. Construction site. Also known as "Basílica Nova", it is built on the "Pitas" hill, had its earthwork started in 1952, and finished in 1954. It started to be built on 11 November 1955, by the North side, and went on to build the Brasília Tower, which had its metallic structure donated by the then president Juscelino Kubitschek. After the tower was finished, the works went to the central dome, then, in mid-1972, to the "Capela das Velas" and to the South side, then passing to the West  and East, and the intermediate wings. There is a walkway, called "Passarela da Fé", which connects the old church and the new basilica to which it is 392 m long, where there are people in a sign of faith, who walk this stretch on their knees. Honors. Golden Rose. The Basilica of Aparecida received the "Golden Rose" in three times: Infrastructure. The National Sanctuary has a wide and complete network of infrastructure to receive many people during regular days and festivities. Lost and found. The lost objects are forwarded to the Pastoral Secretariat or to the Information Center, where they  can be claimed with prior consultation. As for people who get lost from their companions or groups, there is the Meeting Point, which has trained staff and a sound system. However, the Shrine guides people towards organizing themselves at the family or pilgrimage level and adopting the Meeting Point as a common reference; it also guides towards visits with children and the elderly: identify them with a card containing a contact phone and information that may be relevant. Accessibility. The National Sanctuary has access ramps to the temple and the basement, elevators for the visit to the Tower of Brasília  viewpoint, rubberized and non-slip floors and ramps, 58 parking spaces for the elderly and people with disabilities, the bathrooms have an independent entrance for companions of people with disabilities, 45 special chairs, handrails at two heights. Medical clinic. On the east side of the Basilica, next to the Passarela, there is an ambulatory for emergency or urgent assistance, it is a free service and has doctors, nurses and attendants. Pilgrim support center. Popularly known as "Shoppinho", it was designed to provide convenience, leisure and welcome. It has a large food court with several types of restaurants, 380 stores in  36,000m, kiosks, baby changing facilities, bank tellers, drinking fountains, aquarium, meeting point and amusement park. Parking. The Sanctuary has a parking lot with capacity for 2000 buses and 3000 private cars, and has mechanical assistance and insurance against theft or theft of vehicles, but is not responsible for belongings left in the vehicle. Baby station. To favor mothers and fathers with young children, the Basilica offers two baby facilities. One of them is underground and contains 10 cribs and 16 changing tables and serves about 300 children a day. The other is located in the Support Center, on the  south wing, and has microwaves, hygienic showers, changing tables, bottle warmers and other free services. Property security. In order to provide a peaceful and safe visit, the Sanctuary has about 200 security agents. 400 military police, on average, reinforce in special seasons. With a modern camera system, 48 fixed and eight mobile equipment, with 24-hour monitoring, internal and external, they observe the Basilica. Also vehicles and motorcycles that make daytime rounds, inside the walls of the National Shrine, collaborate with the surveillance. Utilities. In the basement of the Basilica, there is the "Sala das Promessas", the baby station, bathrooms , free drinking water, "Salão dos Romeiros" (dining area) and booking of masses. At the Brasília Tower, the viewpoint (100m high), the "Nossa Senhora Aparecida Museum" and the information center. At the Support Center, the meeting point and information center. In the external sector, there is the Chapel of Baptisms, the Press Room, the drivers' room, property security and the ambulatory.