Cathedral of Brasília

Overview

The Cathedral of Brasília is a modernist Roman Catholic cathedral and the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília, dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil. Completed in 1970, its 16 curved concrete columns form a hyperboloid structure evoking hands raised toward heaven. It is an active house of worship and pilgrimage site that stands within Brasília, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and draws around a million visitors a year.

Present

The Cathedral of Brasília is owned and run by the Archdiocese of Brasília as a working church, holding daily Masses, baptisms, and other sacraments. It also hosts national and civic occasions, including the traditional Mass each April that marks the founding of Brasília, attended by federal and local authorities.

Religious Significance

For Roman Catholics, the Cathedral of Brasília is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Brasília and a pilgrimage site dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil. Our Lady of Aparecida ("Our Lady Who Appeared") is venerated through a small terracotta statue of the Virgin Mary that, according to tradition, was found in 1717 by fishermen in the Paraíba River. The statue became the focus of national devotion, and in 1930 Pope Pius XI declared her the principal patroness of Brazil. In taking her name, the cathedral ties the spiritual life of the capital to this devotion.

As the seat of the Archbishop of Brasília, the cathedral is the spiritual center of the city's Catholic community, and within Brazilian Catholic culture it stands as a symbol of the country's devotion to the Virgin Mary.

History & Structure

Construction of the Cathedral of Brasília began in 1958, shortly before Brasília was inaugurated as Brazil's new capital in 1960, a city built to open up the country's interior.

The design broke from traditional church forms. Sixteen curved concrete columns, each weighing about 90 tonnes, rise from a circular base 70 meters across and lean together into a hyperboloid shape read as hands raised in prayer. Visitors enter down a ramp into a nave set below ground level, which opens into a glass-walled interior lit through stained-glass windows added in 1990. Three angels are suspended on cables above the nave. The main structure was raised by 1960, but the cathedral was not completed and dedicated until 31 May 1970. Brasília was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

Resources

• Official website: Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida
• UNESCO: Brasília