INTRODUCTION TO APARECIDA
Aparecida is a Brazilian city and municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is located in the fertile valley of the River Paraíba do Sul on the southern (right) bank. The population in 2004 was about 36,000.
It is almost equidistant from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, and lies beside the inland highway that connects the two cities.
The city is home to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, declared so by Pope Pius XI in 1929. The name of the city is in homage to Our Lady of Conceição Aparecida.
Once part of the municipality of Guaratinguetá, it was emancipated in 1928. It now depends exclusively on tourism generated by the cult surrounding the statue of the Virgin. Aparecida receives more than 8 million tourists a year making it the most popular religious pilgrimage site in Latin America.
Sculpture in front of the Sanctuary commemorates the three fishermen who found the statue..
These pilgrims come to visit the Basilica containing the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida. This statue, thought to have been found in the Paraíba River in October 1717, is made of clay and measures 40 centimenters in height.
The dark colour was produced by the years of exposure to candles and lamps around the altar. In 1978
it was attacked and reduced to some 200 fragments which were meticulously put back together by specialists
from the Museum of Sacred Art of São Paulo.
A visit to the new Basilica is a must if only for the vastness of its dimensions. It can hold 75,000 persons.
(In comparison, St. Peter's can accommodate 8,000 at most.)
In effect, there are 4 naves radiating from a central altar under a dome that is 78 meters
(about 250 feet) in diameter and 70 meters (225 feet) high.
The ex-voto room is especially interesting as it is lined from floor to ceiling with every possible wax r
epresentation of the human body conceivable. A room filled with pictures showing how people were cured or
survived accidents with the Virgin's help is also worth seeing.
The city has other attractions besides the religious buildings such as a theme park, aquarium, and museums.
Among the local events are the Festa de Nossa Senhora Aparecida, on 12 October, which attracts more than
100,000 faithful, and the Festa de São Benedito (St. Benedict), which has performances by several folkloric groups.
The name "Aparecida" has become so important in Brazilian culture that many other towns have taken on the
same name. The given name "Aparecida" is also very popular for girls in Brazil.
The story of the image
In October 1717, Dom Pedro de Almedida, Count of Assumar, passed through the area of Guarantinqueta, a small city in the Paraiba river valley. The people there decided to hold a feast in his honour, and though it was not fishing season, the men went to the waters to fish for the feast.
Three of the fishermen, Domingos Garcia, Joco Alves, and Felipe Pedroso, prayed to the Immaculate Conception, and asked God's help. However, after several hours they were ready to give up.
Joco cast his net once more near the Port of Itaguagu, but instead of fish, he hauled in the body of a statue. The three cast their net again, and brought up the statue's head. After cleaning the statue they found that it was Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
Naming their find Our Lady Aparecida, they wrapped it in cloth and continued to fish; now their nets were full.
While we do not know why the statue was at the bottom of the river, we do know who made it. Frei Agostinho de Jesus, a carioca monk from Sao Paulo known for his sculpture. The image was less than three feet tall, was made around 1650, and must have been underwater for years.
In 1904, when the image was crowned, the present stiff cloak of dark blue gold-embroidered cloth was added, as well as the crown donated by Princess Isabel of Brazil in 1884. The crown seen in the picture below was replaced in 2004 on the centenary of the coronation with the crown seen in the larger image above.
Pope Pius XII proclaimed her principal patroness of Brazil in 1930. In 1967, on the 250th anniversary of her being found, Pope Paul VI honored the Sanctuary with a Golden Rose which is now found in the niche with the statue.
[Popes used to send a Golden Rose to important persons, usually kings and queens, for service to the Church, to honor a city , or to distinguish important santuaries of the faith. Pope John Paul II gave a Golden Rose to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.]
It was vandalized by being broken into some 200 fragments just prior to a visit by Pope John Paul II, but a group of dedicated artists and artisans carefully pieced it together again.
The old Sanctuary, built in 1884, was designated a Basilica in 1904 at the time the statue was crowned. The new Basilica was built to accommodate the phenomenal influx of pilgrims and was inaugurated by John Paul II in 1980.
Assistance Center for Pilgrims
The Center was inaugurated in May 1998 adjacent to the New Sanctuary. It occupies 46,350 square meters (more than four and a half hectares), with 22 food courts covering an area of almost 1-1/2 hectares, spread over each of the four wings; and 330 shops. It also has an aquarium and an entertainment center.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 13/02/2007 8.02]