Friday, March 1, 2024

Basilicas in Brazil—Minas Gerais—2


Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows, Boa Esperanca

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

The church was built between 1784 and 1813.  The gold-plated main altar is done in a Baroque style.




The first picture is from the Diocesan website and the other is from a local source.


Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Conselheiro Lafaiete

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

The church was built in the 1960s in a modern style.  It can seat 1,100.




The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.


Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Borda da Mata

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

The church was built between 1951 and 1958 using a Romano-Lombard style.



From the diocesan website and a local source.


Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Ouro Preto

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

The Baroque stone church was mostly built in the early 18th Century around an earlier chapel.  Construction continued until the mid-19th Century. 





All pictures are from Wikipedia.


Basilica of the Most Blessed Sacrament presented through the Intercession of Mary, Sacramento

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The parish was established in 1857, but I have no information about the church.



The top picture is from the Diocesan website and the bottom one is from Flickr.


Basilica of St. Lawrence, Sao Lourenco

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2016.

The Neo-Colonial and Baroque church was built in the mid-20th Century.  Local people bought individual bricks which they laid themselves in building the church.



From the Diocesan website and TripAdvisor.


Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy, Caete

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2017.

The church was built in the mid-18th Century on a mountain at an elevation of over 5700 feet.  It is said to be the smallest basilica in the world.  It has an 18th Century image of Our Lady.




The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.


Basilica Shrine of the Good Lord Jesus of Deliverance, Liberdade

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2018.

The local people were looking for an image of Jesus but had been unsuccessful.  One day an old man came to the village and said he could provide such an image.  All he needed was a piece of wood, some tools, and a private place to do his work.  The villagers agreed to this.  But after a few days, with the old man asking neither for food nor water, the people became concerned.  So they knocked down the door and did not find the old man.  Instead, the found a life-sized image of Jesus.  It remains in the church today.  The current church was built in 1928.



From a local source and TripAdvisor.


Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Abbey, Uberaba

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020.

The church was built between 1881 and 1921.  It is administered by the Congregation of the Sacred Stigmata of Our Lord Jesus Christ.



From TripAdvisor and Wikipedia.


Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of the Abbey of Dirty Water, Romaria

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2023.

Pilgrims began coming to a church in the location that got its name from the local village.  Eustaquio Van Lishout, the local parish priest, began construction of the current church in 1926 and it was completed in 1975.  It is constructed with Tapiocanga stone which has a natural red color.  Father Eustaquio was a Belgian missionary who died in 1943 and was beatified in 2006.



From the Diocesan website and TripAdvisor.



Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Basilicas in Brazil—Minas Gerais—1


I blogged about the following basilica on September 1, 2021.

  • Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mariana.


Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Diamantina

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

The neo-Gothic church was built between 1885 and 1890.



From the diocesan website and TripAdvisor.


Basilica of Our Lady of Health, Pocos de Caldas

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1948.

The current church was built between 1937 and 1947 as the parish’s third church.  The Gothic and Romanesque church has an image of Our Lady donated by a Portuguese tourist who had bathed in the city’s healthful waters.



From the diocesan website and a local source.


Basilica of the Good Lord Jesus, Congonhas

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1957.

The church was built in the 18th Century on a bluff.  It employs both Baroque and Rococo styles.  A statue of Jesus is similar to one in Portugal.  The statue in Portugal is thought to have been created by Nicodemus from the New Testament who actually knew Jesus.  





Pictures are from, in order, Alamy, a local source, UNESCO, and Wikipedia.


Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes, Belo Horizonte

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1958.

The church was completed in 1923 in a Neo-Gothic style.  The Basilica has three images of Our Lady of Lourdes.





The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.


Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Sao Joao del Rei

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Sao Joao del Rei.  The Baroque church was built in the early 18th Century.  It contains many pieces of colonial Brazilian art including paintings and statues.





The first two pictures are from local sources and the last two are from Wikipedia.


Basilica of St. Joseph the Worker, Barbacena

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1965.

The modern church was built in the 1950s in the shape of a Greek cross.




The first picture is from a local source and the next two are from Wikipedia.


Basilica of St. Gerard Majella, Curvelo

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1966.

The church was built between 1912 and 1919 by Dutch Redemptorist missionaries.  It was built to honor a Redemptorist saint who had been canonized in 1904.  The church is said to be the only basilica in the world dedicated to St. Gerard.




The first picture is from a local source and the next two are from Wikipedia.


Basilica of Our Lady of the Conception, Conceicao do Rio Verde

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1974.

A church was built here in 1748, but I have no information on the current church.




The top picture is from the diocesan website and the last two are from TripAdvisor.


Basilica of St. John Vianney, Belo Horizonte

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1986.


From Wikipedia.