Basilica of Our Lady of Nazareth of Exile, Minor basilica in Nazaré, Belém, Brazil

The Basílica de Nossa Senhora de Nazaré do Desterro is a neoclassical and eclectic church in the Nazaré district of Belém, Brazil, designed by Gino Coppedè and built from 1909. Its pale cream facade has a single tall central tower with an onion-shaped dome, a clock face and corner pillars, above a pedimented front with a golden cross. Inside, a coffered dark red and gold ceiling covers the nave, and a barrel-vaulted apse holds a large mural above a sunburst altarpiece.

The cornerstone was laid on 24 October 1909 by Archbishop Santino Maria Coutinho, on the spot where Plácido José de Souza had found the image of the Virgin beside the Murutucu stream. The Barnabite priest Luigi Zoia commissioned a design from Italian architect Gino Coppedè, who never travelled to Belém and modelled it on Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. Works stalled through two world wars, the rubber crisis and the 1930 Revolution, and the church was finished only after 1945. Pius XI raised it to a basilica on 19 July 1923.

The church stands at the heart of the Círio de Nazaré, a multi-day religious event held each October that draws believers from across Brazil and beyond to Belém. During the celebration, the statue of the Virgin is carried through the streets in procession, accompanied by hymns, prayers, and crowds that line the route for kilometers.

Visitors can enter the interior, attend services, or view the displayed religious objects. Opening hours tend to be generous, but respectful distance is advised during worship times.

The image venerated here is a replica made in the 1960s by the Italian sculptor Giacomo Muzner, who gave the Virgin features of Amazonian women. The original statue found by Plácido José de Souza stays in the Glory and is brought out only for the presentation of the faithful after the Motorromaria procession.