The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar (Portuguese: Catedral Basílica Nossa Sehora do Pilar), also known as the São João del Rei Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic Marian Pontifical shrine in São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
It is a great representative of Brazilian colonial art, which contains a rich decoration in gold, paintings and statues, being under the protection of the Institute of National Artistic Patrimony of Brazil (IPHAN).
[1][2][3][4] The cathedral is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del Rei (established in 1960).
Pope Pius XII crowned the venerated Marian image within the shrine on 12 October 1954.
Pope Paul VI issued a Pontifical decree Religione almae which raised the shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 24 September 1964.