Brazil Unveils World’s Largest Statue of Our Lady of Fátima in Crato
Brazil Unveils World’s Largest Statue of Our Lady of Fátima in Crato
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Authorities in Crato (Ceará state, Brazil) inaugurated on November 13 a 54-meter-tall statue of Our Lady of Fátima, marking what local leaders describe as the tallest memorial to the Virgin Mary under that title, ceara.gov.br reported.
More details in the following report:
Crafted by Brazilian sculptor Ranilson Viana, the statue stands higher than Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer (38 meters), according to oimparcial.com.br.
The official inauguration included a Mass led by Bishop Magnus Henrique Lopes and drew hundreds of pilgrims traveling in over 100 caravans.
The Ceará government reportedly spent over 6 million Brazilian reals improving access to the site, located in a deeply religious region known for Marian devotion, as reported by opovo.com.br.
According to Vatican News, the statue serves as a symbol of faith and cultural identity in Crato. It features a replica of the Chapel of the Apparitions from Fátima, Portugal, reinforcing its spiritual connection to the original apparition site.
This city is renowned for being home to one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Every year, the site receives millions of pilgrims and visitors from across the globe who travel there to pray, seek healing, and pursue spiritual purification.
The site’s significance originates from a story and a great miracle: the appearance of an apparition of the Virgin Mary before three shepherd children — a luminous lady known as Our Lady of the Rosary.
According to accounts, in 1917, over the course of several months, these children witnessed repeated apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The final apparition was accompanied by a miracle that was reportedly observed in various ways by at least 60,000 to 70,000 people, an event in Christian and Catholic tradition referred to as “the day the sun danced.”
