A church of such size and significance would normally be attributed to a large population centre. Although it is not far from Sao Paulo, with over 22 million people, it is actually in a town called Aparecida.

The church can hold between 30,000 and 45,000, and overall the site is designed to handle up to 200,000. Little Aparecida's population is somewhere around 30,000.

There are many interesting stories associated with the site and its significance, and specifically the image of the virgin. Entitled as the "Patroness of Brazil", the highly revered image was found in a nearby river by some fishermen.

In the 1970's, an opportunistic thief made off with the image, but it was dropped when he was chased, smashing in to over 200 pieces. A significant glass shield now protects the restored image.