The Círio de Nazaré is a Catholic religious celebration, originating from Portuguese colonizers, involving processions (pilgrimages) in devotion to Our Lady of Nazareth, held in the Brazilian city of Belém (state of Pará). It has been observed annually since 1793, on the second Sunday of October, and currently attracts approximately two million participants.
The devotion traces its roots to Portugal, where it is observed on September 8 in the town of Nazaré. In Brazil, it was originally an evening or nighttime pilgrimage, which explains the use of candles. In 1854, to avoid the heavy rainfall that had occurred the previous year, the procession was moved to the morning.
The Círio began in 1793 in Belém, and until 1882, it started from the Government Palace. In 1882, Bishop Antônio de Macedo Costa, in agreement with the Province President, Justino Ferreira Carneiro, decided the procession would begin at the Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in Belém.
The Círio is the largest Catholic event in Brazil and one of the largest peaceful gatherings of its kind globally. In 2004, it was designated as intangible cultural heritage by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) and, in 2013, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The event also takes place in other parts of the Northern Region, including Macapá, Rio Branco, and Manaus, as well as in various other Brazilian regions due to migration from Pará, where processions are held to maintain a connection to Belém through acts of faith.
Etymology The term "Círio" derives from the Latin word "cereum", meaning "large candle".
Legends and stories In Portugal
According to the Legend of Nazaré, a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary, in which she is depicted seated and nursing the Child Jesus, originated in Nazareth. The dark-colored statue has been identified as an artifact from the early centuries of Christianity. It traveled from Nazareth through Mérida, Spain, and reached Nazaré, Portugal, in 711.
In the 12th century, the statue became a symbol of faith for the knight D. Fuas Roupinho, who, in 1182, built the Chapel of Our Lady of Nazaré in gratitude to the Virgin after surviving a serious accident while pursuing a deer on horseback. The chapel was constructed over a cave where the statue was located. In 1377, King Ferdinand (1367–1383) established a larger temple, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré, to which the statue was moved. Since then, every September, the Portuguese gather at the Sítio da Nazaré to honor Our Lady of Nazareth. The main pilgrimage, the Círio da Prata Grande, starts in Mafra and carries another image of the Virgin Mary standing, similar to the one venerated in the Brazilian Círio, in a Berlin.
In Brazil In the 17th century, devotion to Our Lady of Nazareth was introduced in Pará by the priests of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).CARVALHO, Luciana; CAMPOS, Marcelo; OLIVEIRA, Thiago da Costa (Cur.). Patrimônios do Norte: Homenagem aos 81 anos do IPHAN. Rio de Janeiro: Paço Imperial, 2018. Although the devotion began in Vigia de Nazaré, the most well-known account states that in 1700, Plácido, a caboclo descendant of Portuguese and indigenous ancestry, found a small, deteriorated wooden statue of Our Lady of Nazareth, a replica of the Portuguese statue, approximately 28 cm tall, near the Murutucu stream in Belém, an area now behind the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth of Exile.
Plácido took the statue to his home, cleaned it, and created a makeshift altar. According to tradition, the statue repeatedly returned to its original location, prompting Plácido to interpret this as a divine sign and build a small hermitage at the site. The story of the statue’s return attracted local residents, who began visiting the hermitage to pay homage. The account gained the attention of the governor of the Captaincy of Grão Pará, Francisco Maurício de Sousa Coutinho, who ordered the statue moved to the city palace’s chapel. Despite being kept under guard, the statue disappeared and reappeared at Plácido’s hermitage. This led to the devotion gaining official status, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth was later built where the hermitage stood.
In 1773, the archbishop and bishop of Belém do Pará, João Evangelista Pereira da Silva, placed Belém under the protection of Our Lady of Nazareth. In 1774, the statue was sent to Portugal for restoration and returned in October of that year in a procession from the city port to the sanctuary, accompanied by the governor, bishop, and other authorities, marking the first Círio. The event has since been held annually on the second Sunday of October.
One notable miracle attributed to the Belém statue involves the passengers of the Portuguese brig "São João Batista". On July 11, 1846, the brig, which had previously carried the statue to Lisbon for restoration in 1774, wrecked shortly after departing Belém for Lisbon. The passengers were saved by a dinghy, which had also transported the statue in 1774, and returned to Belém. The dinghy has accompanied the procession since 1885.
Although the Belém Círio is the most prominent in Brazil, the oldest Círio, dating to 1630, is in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro. After a stormy night, fishermen found a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary among rocks separating the sea from a lagoon, where the current Parish Church stands. The image reportedly returned to the rocks multiple times, leading religious authorities to begin constructing a chapel, later replaced by the current temple. The Saquarema Círio was recognized as Brazil’s oldest during a visit by the Belém pilgrim image on September 23, 2009.
Interesting facts The Círio rope was introduced in 1855 to pull the Berlin carrying the image of Our Lady of Nazareth due to flooding from the Guajará Bay in the Ver-o-peso area. It was officially adopted in 1868. The rope initially had a U-shape, with two rows for men and women, both attached to the Berlin, used from 1922 to 2004. Since 2005, it has a linear format with five stations, resembling a Catholic rosary, with a head nucleus and a Berlin nucleus. The rope measures 400 meters long and two inches in diameter. According to tradition, Plácido found the statue wearing a mantle. Since then, a new mantle is crafted for each Círio based on the festivity’s theme. Until 1973, Sister Alessandra of the Daughters of Saint Anne Congregation, linked to Gentil Bittencourt School, created the mantles using donated materials from anonymous devotees. After her death, her student, Ester Paes Rocha, took over, and various designers have since contributed to the mantle’s artwork. Initially held between September and November without a fixed date, the Círio was set for the second Sunday of October in 1901 by Bishop Dom Francisco de Rego Maia. The Berlin was introduced in 1882 at Bishop Dom Macedo Costa’s suggestion. Until 1854, the statue was carried by a Government Palace chaplain on a litter by four or six men. In 1855, a carriage, a precursor to the Berlin, was used. Initially, the statue was carried alone in the Berlin. Until the rope was introduced, the carriage was pulled by horses. In 1926, the Berlin was replaced by an andor under Archbishop Dom João Irineu Joffily’s changes, but it returned in 1930. The rope was removed in 1926 due to violence concerns but reinstated in 1931 with the Berlin. There are five official Berlin versions, with the current one in use since 1964, restored in 2012. Replicas are used in other pilgrimages, and a niche holds the statue in the presbytery for the Children’s Pilgrimage and Festival Procession. The pilgrimage originally started at the Government Palace, moved to the Our Lady of Grace Cathedral in 1882, and began at the Church of Saint Alexander in 1891. In 1918, the Círio was held on the last Sunday of October due to the Spanish Flu pandemic, marking the first date change since 1901. In 1969, a replica of the statue, known as the Pilgrim Image, was crafted in a caboclo style, representing the Amazonian population. It is used in the Círio pilgrimages and was restored in 2002. The original statue, the Original Image, is kept in the Basilica Sanctuary’s Glória do Altar-Môr, lowered in May for the basilica’s sanctuary status festivities and in October during the Nazarene period, placed in a glass dome. The statue left the basilica three times: in 1980 for Pope John Paul II’s visit, in 1992 for the 200th Círio anniversary, and in 2021 for a blessing outside the basilica. The Image Lowering Ceremony, started in 1969, was initially restricted and held after the Transfer at 11 p.m. Since 1992, it has been open to the public at noon after the Motorromaria. In 2020, it was restricted due to COVID-19 measures, and in 2021, it was open with limited capacity for vaccinated individuals, returning to standard format in 2022. In 1991, the Círio reached one million participants, and in 1992, it reached two million. The 2000 and 2004 editions were the longest, with the 2000 procession ending at 3:45 p.m. due to a Berlin wheel issue and disorganization, and the 2004 procession ending at 4:15 p.m. due to a rope attachment issue. In 2002, a fire at Casa Chamma caused the Berlin to detour via Avenida João Alfredo and Travessa Frutuoso Guimarães, ending at 11:15 a.m., the third fastest Círio, surpassed by the 2019 (11:30 a.m.) and 1995 (10:37 a.m.) editions, the latter facilitated by the rope not being attached. In 2004, the procession began during the Holy Mass at the offertory to end earlier, but the rope issue caused the longest procession. In 2020, the Círio was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, replaced by a special program including a Holy Mass, hospital visits, documentaries, shows, and a flyover of the pilgrim image. Processions elsewhere were also canceled. This followed a cancellation in 1835 due to the Cabanagem revolt. In 2021, the transfer to Ananindeua and Marituba resumed along main roads, but the main procession was not held.
Timeline 1630 - Devotion to Our Lady of Nazareth begins in Saquarema, marking the first Círio in Brazil. 1653 - Devotion to Our Lady of Nazareth begins in Vigia. 1697 - First record of the Círio in Vigia. 1700 - Plácido, a caboclo, finds a deteriorated statue of Our Lady of Nazareth near the Murutucu stream, now behind the Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth of Exile. 1720 - The first hermitage is built to house the statue. 1730 - Construction of the second hermitage, inaugurated in 1744. 1773 - The archbishop and bishop of Belém, João Evangelista Pereira da Silva, places Belém under the protection of Our Lady of Nazaré. 1774 - The statue is sent to Portugal for restoration and returns in a procession to Belém. 1790 - Authorization is granted for the festivities of Our Lady of Nazareth. 1793 - The first Círio is held in Belém. 1799 - Construction of the third hermitage, inaugurated between 1800 and 1802. 1805 - The Float of Miracles is introduced, commemorating the 1182 miracle of Dom Fuas Roupinho, ordered by Queen Maria I of Portugal. 1826 - The fireworks float is introduced, discontinued in 1983 to prevent accidents. 1835 - The Círio is not held due to the Cabanagem revolt. 1840 - The statue undergoes a second restoration in Portugal. 1846 - The miracle of the brig João Batista occurs, with sailors surviving a shipwreck. 1854 - The Círio is moved to the morning due to heavy rains. 1855 - The litter is replaced by a carriage, a precursor to the Berlin, and the rope is used due to flooding. A cholera epidemic affects Belém but does not stop the Círio. 1859 - The first Recírio is held, with the statue returning to the Government Palace. 1868 - The rope is officially adopted. 1878 - The first Civil Círio was conducted without the participation of clergy, which was regarded as sacrilege. 1880 - Dom Macedo Costa decrees the statue be carried alone in the Berlin. 1881 - The only recorded Festival Procession is held.