[2] According to local tradition, three fishermen were attempting to catch a large amount of fish in the Paraíba River for a banquet honoring the visit of São Paulo governor Pedro de Almeida in 1717.

[3] Despite their prayers, their attempts were fruitless until late in the day, one of the fishermen cast his net and pulled it back to find the statue of the Virgin Mary.

[8] Due to the following conflicting accounts on dates, the Vatican has enumerated the following recorded Papal documents: Benedito Calixto Neto was the architect contracted for the design of the project and, in 1955, the construction of the new basilica started.

[14] Pope Benedict XVI visited the church on 12 May 2007, during his apostolic journey to Brazil on the occasion of the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean.

[16] As the main pilgrimage site for the Catholic Church in Brazil, the shrine was recognized by the Vatican as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Aparecida on 12 November 2016, being since then the seat of the local archbishop.

It started to be built on 11 November 1955,[18] by the North side, and went on to build the Brasília Tower, which had its metallic structure donated by the then president Juscelino Kubitschek.

After the tower was finished, the works went to the central dome, then, in mid-1972, to the "Capela das Velas" and to the south side, then passing to the west and east, and the intermediate wings.

There is a walkway, called "Passarela da Fé", which connects the old church and the new basilica to which it is 392 m long, where there are people who, as a sign of faith, walk this stretch on their knees.

It has a large food court with several types of restaurants, 380 stores in 36,000 square metres (390,000 sq ft), kiosks, baby changing facilities, bank tellers, drinking fountains, aquarium, meeting point and amusement park.

[24] In the basement of the Basilica, there is the "Sala das Promessas", the baby station, bathrooms, free drinking water, "Salão dos Romeiros" (dining area) and booking of masses.

[25][26][27] They are guided by the Archbishop of Juiz de Fora (Minas Gerais), Gil Antônio Moreira, who heads the movement according to the Brazilian Episcopal Conference (CNBB).