The Cathedral Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida (Catedral Basílica do Santuário Nacional de Nossa Senhora Aparecida) stands as a prominent Roman Catholic basilica in Aparecida, Brazil.
It is devoted to Our Lady Aparecida, the primary Patroness of Brazil, translating to “Our Lady Revealed.” In terms of interior area, it ranks as the largest cathedral and the second-largest Catholic church globally, following St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
The origins of this site trace back to the discovery of a Virgin Mary statue.
According to local folklore, three fishermen were struggling to catch fish in the Paraíba River to honor São Paulo Governor, Pedro de Almeida, in 1717. Despite their efforts and prayers, they had no success until late in the day when one of the fishermen cast his net and discovered the statue of the Virgin Mary. On the subsequent cast, he found the head of the statue.
The fishermen cleaned the statue, wrapped it in cloth, and then returned to their task, miraculously finding an abundance of fish. The statue is attributed to Frei Agostino de Jesus, a monk residing in São Paulo.