A magnificent 1909 basilica inspired by St. Peter's in Rome, and home to the largest Catholic procession in the world.
The basilica anchors the Nazaré neighborhood, a quieter and leafier part of the city away from the waterfront bustle. Even outside of October, the interior is worth visiting: the mosaics, gilded altars, and the devotional objects left by pilgrims over centuries fill the space.
Adjacent to the basilica is a small museum (Museu do Círio) documenting the history of the procession with photographs, rope segments, and ex-votos — the wax limbs, silver hearts, and model ships left by those who believe their prayers were answered.
A story
Every October, around two million people crowd Belém's streets for the Círio de Nazaré, a procession that drags a rope said to have once tethered a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary found in the forest in 1700. The event has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The basilica itself — modeled on St. Peter's in Rome and completed in 1909 — is stunning inside, its Italian stained-glass windows casting colored light across a grand nave.