The Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the most prominent Catholic churches in Belo Horizonte, designed in a high Neo-Gothic style and consecrated in 1957. The exterior — pinnacles, pointed arches, a tall central spire — is unusually European for a Brazilian church and recalls the great Belgian and French churches of the late nineteenth century.
Inside, the church is bright and white with stained-glass windows along both nave walls. A grotto reproducing the apparition site at Lourdes in France attracts a steady stream of local pilgrims. The basilica is open daily; the surrounding Lourdes neighbourhood is pleasant for a walk afterwards.