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Two of the most important and worthwhile sights in Belem lie about fifteen minutes' walk inland from the Praca da Republica along Avenida Nazare. The first is the Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Nazare on Praca Justo Chermont. Created in 1908, and supposedly modelled on St Peter's in Rome, it rates - internally at least - with the most beautiful temples in South America. It somehow manages to be both ornate and simple at the same time, a cruciform structure with a fine wooden ceiling and attractive Moorish designs decorating the sixteen main arches. Most importantly, however, this is home to one of the most revered images in Brazil, Nossa Senhora de Nazare . The story of the image is littered with miracles: it is said to have been originally sculpted in Nazareth in the early years of Christianity, from where it found its way to Spain by the eighth century. Here it had to be hidden from the Moors, and somehow survived to end up in Portugal, where the first important miracle occurred in the twelfth century, when the mayor of Porto de Mos, Fuas Roupinho, was saved from certain death (plunging off the edge of a cliff on horseback) by the intervention of the Virgin. He built a chapel in celebration, and from there the Jesuits brought the image to Brazil in the seventeenth century. On the first attempt to bring it to Belem, the image was lost in the jungle, and rediscovered in 1700 by a rancher. He built a rough shrine to house the Virgin, and word of its miraculous properties rapidly spread; today that shrine has grown to an impressive church, and the cult of Nossa Senhora de Nazare is stronger than ever. The most obvious sign of the thriving cult is the annual Cirio de Nazare (Festival of Candles), for which something approaching a million people flock to Belem on the second Sunday in October, many having saved all year to afford it. A copy of the image is carried in a vast parade made up of thousands of young people, who between them also carry an old 380-metre-long anchor rope that weighs well over a ton; by touching the rope, the faithful, according to traditional belief, will receive the blessing of Our Lady. The procession makes votive offerings - usually in the form of model houses, boats and trucks made out of palm trees - as it goes along its route from the cathedral to the basilica, and two weeks later it returns; in between are all the usual secular festivities of a Brazilian celebration. If you hope to stay at this time of year, you'll need to book a room well in advance. Two long blocks up Avenida Magalhaes Barata (the continuation of Nazare) from the basilica, you'll find the excellent Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi at no. 376 (Tues-Thurs 9am-noon & 2-5pm, Fri 9am-noon, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm; museum $2, zoological gardens $2). The gardens alone are worth a visit and, quite apart from the collections of plants, birds, animals and Indian artefacts, any money you spend here goes not only to the upkeep of the museum and its grounds but also to a wide programme of research in everything from anthropology to zoology. Founded in 1866, this is one of only two Brazilian research institutes in the Amazon, and plays a vital role in developing local expertise. Set in the compact but beautifully laid-out botanical gardens here is a small zoo . Tapirs, manatees, big cats, huge alligators, terrapins, electric eels and an incredible selection of birds make this place an important site for anyone interested in the forest. By Brazilian standards the animals are reasonably kept, too. The museum , particularly the geology, ecology, archeology and anthropology sections, is equally fascinating and well organized. There's an excellent description of the region from its pre-ceramic hunter-gatherer stage (10,000-1000 BC) through the period of early ceramics and incipient agriculture (3000-200 BC) until the emergence of forest agriculture as encountered by the Portuguese in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Some of the early Marajo island ceramics are particularly impressive: marvellous pots and bowls which are virtually the only reminder of a culture that had already vanished when the Portuguese arrived. Finally, the museum's souvenir shop has probably the best selection of T-shirts and other souvenirs in Belem - it's not the cheapest place in town, but quality is high and the money goes to a good cause.
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