The Basilica Shrine of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces ( pt, Basílica Santuário Nossa Senhora Medianeira de Todas as Graças) or the Basilica of Santa Maria is a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, located in Santa Maria municipality, Rio Grande do Sul, in the south of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It is the only basilica in the world dedicated to Mary the Mediatrix of all Graces. The basilica gives its name to the avenue and the neighborhood where it is located, on the other hand it is the end point of the

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

of the "medianera". The devotion to the Mediatrix Virgin began in 1928, with the arrival of the Jesuits. In 1935, Don Antonio Reis blessed the first stone, beginning the work of building the sanctuary. In 1942, the bishops of Rio Grande do Sul consecrated the state to the Mediator Virgin declaring her the Chief Patroness of the state. In 1943, on the initiative of Don Antonio Reis, the first romeria (a group religious pilgrimage) was held in the state. The church was declared a Basilica in 1987 during the pontificate of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. The basilica is home to the venerated icon of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces, the Queen of the Gauchos. On May 31, 2024,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

authorized the canonical coronation of the Marian icon through a decree issued by the

Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments it, Dicastero per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti , type = Dicastery , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , p ...

. The coronation ceremony was presided by the Archbishop of Santa Maria,

Leomar Antônio Brustolin Leomar Antônio Brustolin (born 15 August 1967) is a Brazilian prelate of the Catholic Church who has been archbishop of Santa Maria since 2021. He was auxiliary bishop of Porto Alegre from 2015 to 2021. Biography Leomar Antônio Brustolin ...

, on August 15, 2024.

References

{{coord, 29.6998, S, 53.8108, W, source:wikidata, display=title Basilica churches in Brazil Roman Catholic churches completed in 1942 Roman Catholic shrines in Brazil Roman Catholic churches in Rio Grande do Sul 1928 establishments in Brazil 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Brazil

See also

References