Aparecida - Full history of the apparition
Río Paraíba, São Paulo, Brazil · October 12, 1717
On October 12, 1717, three fishermen found an image of the Virgin Mary in the Paraíba River. Their nets, once empty, were filled with fish. Our Lady Aparecida became the patron of Brazil and one of the most venerated Marian asvocations in America.
The circumstances
In October 1717, the governor of the province of São Paulo was preparing an expedition to receive the new bishop of Rio de Janeiro. Large amounts of fish were needed for the banquet. Three fishermen - Domingos Garcia, João Alves and Filipe Pedroso - were sent to the Paraíba River for fishing.
The three fishermen were humble men, of indigenous and African origin. They lived in a community of fishermen on the banks of the Paraíba River, in the current state of São Paulo.
«Nuestras redes estaban vacías durante horas. No pescábamos ni un pez. Estábamos desesperados.»
- Domingos Garcia, witness to the apparitionThe hallazgo de la imagen
When the nets were still empty, João Alves launched his nets one last time. When he collected them, he found in them a wooden image: a Virgin Brunette, 38 centimeters high, with her hands together in prayer. The image was covered in mud and his head was missing.
The fishermen, astonished, continued to fish. Suddenly, the nets were filled with fish. They had never caught so many fish in a single day.
The restoration of the image
The fishermen took the image to Filipe Pedroso, who kept it in his house. The next day, his son, Atanasio, found the head of the Virgin in the nets. The image was restored and placed in an improvised chapel.
The image of Our Lady Aparecida is a 38-inch-high cedar wood sculpture that represents the Virgin Mary with her hands together in prayer. Dress up a blue mantle and have a golden crown (later added).
«Cuando vi la imagen en las redes, sentí una paz que nunca había sentido. La Virgen nos había elegido a nosotros, los más pobres.»
- Filipe Pedroso, witness to the apparitionLa devoción popular
The news of the apparition quickly spread throughout the region. The pilgrims began to go to the chapel of Filipe Pedroso to venerate the image. The miracles multiplied: healing, Conversions, miraculous salvation.
In 1745, the first church dedicated to Our Lady Aparecida was built. In 1834, a larger sanctuary was erected. In 1930, the Virgin was declared patron of Brazil.
The Basilica
In 1955, the construction of the Basilica of Our Lady Aparecida, designed by the Italian architect Tomás Vasconcelos, began. The Basilica, opened in 1980, is one of the largest churches in the world, with capacity for 45,000 people sitting.
The basilica is made of a Greek cross, with a dome of 70 meters in height and a vitral of 200 square meters. Inside is the image of the Virgin Aparecida, on a special altar surrounded by gold.
«Aparecida es el corazón de Brasil. Aquí todos somos hermanos, sin importar la raza, la lengua o la nacionalidad.»
— Pope John Paul II