Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha, Catholic sanctuary on Penha hill, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha is a cream-coloured church with two tall towers on the left, each topped by a dark pointed spire above a round clock face. The central section has a red tiled roof, a lower arcade of five arches and upper windows with blue shutters; a projecting wing with a pediment and staircase stands to the right. It rests on a white retaining wall above a steep slope.

In 1635 Captain Baltazar, owner of a sesmaria share, had a small chapel built on the rock in thanks for being saved from a snake, which a lizard drove off after he called on Our Lady. The sanctuary grew from that chapel over more than 380 years. The granite staircase was cut in 1819 after Maria Barbosa's vow; in 1900-1902 the Portuguese engineer Luiz de Moraes Júnior restored the facade, and on 16 June 2016 Pope Francis raised the sanctuary to minor basilica.

The name Penha refers to Peña de Francia in Spain, a Marian pilgrimage site. Each October the sanctuary holds the patroness festivities: hourly Sunday masses, outdoor masses, luminous processions, folk groups, choirs and food stalls along the slope. Devotees climb the 382 granite steps on foot or on their knees to fulfil promises.

Access is by the 382-step staircase carved into the granite, 111 metres high, or by three free funiculars kept by the city, one of them an inclined plane known as the bondinho. The stairs lead to the rear of the church, whose front faces the sea. Devotees often climb on foot or on their knees to fulfil promises.

The staircase was carved into the cliff's granite by Maria Barbosa, who in 1817 promised it in exchange for a child; her son was born in 1818 and the 382 steps were finished in 1819, more than the days of a year. The church front faces the sea, so the stairs lead visitors to the rear of the building.