"Where a clay medallion unearthed from black mud gave birth to a city, a basilica, and the only sanctuary in the world dedicated to God the Eternal Father"
Trinidade, Basilica of Trindade
Trindade, Goiás, Brazil
In the red-earth heartland of Goias, eighteen kilometers west of the state capital, stands the only basilica on earth dedicated to the Divino Pai Eterno, the Divine Eternal Father. Each year, over four million pilgrims converge on the small city of Trindade, a place that exists because of a clay medallion pulled from a creek bed around 1840. During the ten-day Romaria in late June, three million of them arrive on foot, on horseback, and in ox carts that creak across the cerrado as they have for nearly two centuries.
Weather & Best Time
Plan Your Visit
Save this site and start planning your journey.
Quick Facts
Location
Trindade, Goiás, Brazil
Coordinates
-16.6607, -49.4853
Last Updated
Mar 10, 2026
Learn More
The devotion to the Divino Pai Eterno originated around 1840 when a farming couple discovered a clay medallion depicting the Holy Trinity crowning the Virgin Mary at Corrego do Barro Preto in central Goias. This grassroots discovery, amplified by reported miracles and formalized by Redemptorist missionaries, grew into Brazil's second largest pilgrimage and the only basilica in the world dedicated to God the Father.
Origin Story
Around 1840, a farming couple named Constantino Xavier and Ana Rosa were working the land along Corrego do Barro Preto, Black Mud Creek, in the remote interior of Goias. From the mud of the creek bed, they unearthed a small clay medallion. Its surface bore a delicate image: the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, crowning the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The couple recognized the sacred nature of their find. They built a simple chapel, its roof thatched with buriti palm, to shelter the medallion. Word spread through the scattered settlements of the sertao. People came to see the image. Miracles were reported. More people came.
Constantino and Ana Rosa commissioned Jose Joaquim da Veiga Valle, a self-taught sculptor from Pirenopolis working in the baroque tradition, to carve a larger wooden replica of the medallion's image. The resulting sculpture, approximately thirty centimeters in height, amplified the devotion further and attracted permanent settlers. A village grew around the chapel. They called it Barro Preto at first, after the creek. Later, the name changed to Trindade, Trinity, after the image that had called the community into being.
In December 1894, Redemptorist missionary priests arrived in Goias and found a growing but unorganized devotion. They began formally structuring the pilgrimages and providing pastoral care. Under their guidance, a proper parish church was constructed and inaugurated on September 8, 1912, by the Redemptorist missionary Antao Jorge. The Redemptorists have administered the sanctuary continuously since their arrival, shaping the spontaneous devotion into one of Brazil's great pilgrimage traditions.
No one has ever determined who made the original clay medallion, when it was crafted, or how it came to be buried at Corrego do Barro Preto. These questions remain unanswered after nearly two centuries of veneration.
Key Figures
Constantino Xavier and Ana Rosa
founders
The farming couple who discovered the sacred clay medallion at Corrego do Barro Preto around 1840, built the first buriti-palm chapel, and commissioned the Veiga Valle sculpture. Their discovery initiated the devotion that would give birth to the city of Trindade and one of Brazil's largest pilgrimage traditions.
Jose Joaquim da Veiga Valle
Jose Joaquim da Veiga Valle
sculptor
Self-taught sculptor from Pirenopolis, Goias (1806-1874) who created the approximately 30-centimeter wooden replica of the medallion's image in the baroque tradition. His sculpture amplified the devotion and is now venerated alongside the original medallion inside the basilica. His works are recognized as important examples of Brazilian colonial sacred art.
Pope Benedict XVI
ecclesiastical authority
On April 4, 2006, at the request of the Archbishop of Goiania, he elevated the sanctuary to the status of Minor Basilica, making it the only basilica in the world dedicated to the Divine Eternal Father. The formal installation ceremony took place on November 18, 2006.
Spiritual Lineage
The devotion has been sustained by the faithful of central-western Brazil for over 185 years, passing from generation to generation as both religious practice and cultural identity. The Redemptorist Congregation has administered the sanctuary since December 1894, providing sacramental continuity and pastoral care. The Archdiocese of Goiania exercises ecclesiastical oversight. In 2016, IPHAN registered the Romaria dos Carros de Boi as Brazilian Cultural Heritage, formally recognizing the ox cart pilgrimage as an irreplaceable expression of national culture. The devotion has been described as the spiritual heartbeat of Goias, and Trindade is symbolically declared the capital of the state during each annual Romaria.
Know a Sacred Site We Should Include?
Help us expand our collection of sacred sites. Share your knowledge and contribute to preserving the world's spiritual heritage.