A Religious Pilgrimage in Latin America: Sacred Sites in Brazil to Include in Your Journey
A religious pilgrimage can be done in other parts of the world, such as in the Latin American region, and not just in the widely famed Jerusalem. NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images

A religious pilgrimage can be undertaken in many parts of the world, like in the Latin American region and not only in the widely famed Jerusalem.

Religious pilgrimages have been an important tradition of the Roman Catholics, with many shrines found even in Alaska and Canada.

The oldest shrine in the Americas is believed to be the Our Lady of Mercy at Santo Cerro in the Dominican Republic, where Christopher Columbus reportedly erected a cross as a sign of gratitude for the victory over local Indians in the mid-1490s.

Indigenous places in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Bolivia were Christianized.

Aside from the established shrines across Latin America, numerous places are considered sacred sites, particularly in Brazil. Many of these sacred sites are churches with rich and colorful histories.

Sacred Sites in Brazil

One of the famous sacred sites in Brazil is the Rio de Janeiro Cathedral, which looks like an angular beehive from the inside. The construction of the huge cathedral started in the late 1960s and continued on into the 1970s.

Architect Edgar Fonseca designed the structure, which was intended to mirror the edifice of the ancient Mayan pyramids. The church is believed to have the capability to hold as many as 20,000 people.

It also features a museum in the basement. The modern structure also features huge windows reaching over 300 feet up from the floor, going straight to the end structure of the church.

Natural Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida

The widely revered Our Lady of Aparecida is the patroness of Brazil. Its cathedral is considered to be the second-largest Catholic temple, following Vatican's St. Peter's Basilica.

The venue receives visitors throughout the year. However, the celebration of the Patron Saint's Day on October 12 is considered the most important date.

The basilica has a three feet tall gold-detailed black statuette of her image. A local story said that three men went fishing in the Paraiba River during a time when fish was a rare catch.

The three caught the body of a neckless image. They then got its head, which they discovered as being Our Lady of Conception. Since then, it has been attributed to miraculous occurrences.

The Natural Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida has become one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in Latin America.

Old Petrolandia Church

In Pernambuco, Brazil, an old church still stands with its peak above the waters. The citizens of old Perolandia moved away after it was made to become a reservoir of the state's largest hydroelectric dam.

The old Petrolandia remains inhabited after the 40,000 people were displaced in urban areas in 1979 and 30,000 people were relocated to rural areas, mainly in Tuxa.

Sao Paolo Cathedral

The renaissance-style structure is inspired by the Cathedral of Florence and does not fall short when it comes to occupying space. The massive church is considered to be the fourth largest Neo-Gothic cathedral in the world.

The venue can hold up to 8,000 people, with visitors can look at the carved designs of coffee beans, flora, and animals. The Catholic church also houses an underground crypt, located under the main altar.

A regent of Brazil during Emperor Dom Pedro II's 19th-century reign, Father Diogo Feijo, has made Sao Paolo Cathedral's crypt his final resting place.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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