Aparecida is a Brazilian city and municipality in the state of São Paulo. Its geographical location is 22.50° South latitude and 45.13° West longitude. The population in 2004 was 35,754 (estimated). The area of the municipality is 121.232 km². It is home to the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Aparecida (Our Lady of the Concepcion Aparecida), the patron saint of Brazil, declared so by Pope Pius XI in 1929. Flag of São Paulo São Paulo is a state in Brazil. ... A compass rose with South highlighted South is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. ... Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ... Map of Earth showing lines of longitude, which appear curved and vertical in this projection, but are actually halves of great circles Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In several forms of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ...

Located 160 km from the city of São Paulo, the city of Aparecida has become famous due to its religious importance, and today it is called “Capital Mariana da Fé”. The city was given its name in homage to Our Lady of Conceição Aparecida.

Besides the religious temples, the city also has attractions such as a theme park, aquarium, and museums.

Among the local events we should mention the Festa de Nossa Senhora Aparecida, on 12 October, which attracts more than 100,000 faithful, and the Festa de São Benedito, which has several folkloric groups.

The reason why millions come to Aparecida every year is to visit the Basilica containing the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida. This statue, thought to have been found in the Paraíba River in October 1717, is made of clay and measures 40 centimenters in height. The dark color was produced by the years of exposure to candles and lamps around the altar. In 1978 it was attacked and reduced to hundreds of fragments which were meticulously put back together by specialists from the Museum of Sacred Art of São Paulo.