The national shrine at Aparecida is built around a small clay image of the Virgin recovered from the Paraíba do Sul river by three fishermen in 1717. The present basilica was consecrated in 1980 and is the second largest Catholic church in the world by interior area, after Saint Peter's in Rome. Our Lady of Aparecida is the principal patroness of Brazil and her feast on 12 October is a national holiday, which makes the shrine the busiest pilgrimage site in the country.