Gloria Church

Not far from the Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro, you can see the snow-white church of Gloria, rising on a hill. This building has a centuries-old history, starting in 1671, when a lonely hermit Antonio Caminha built a small chapel here, and next to it he put a wooden statue of the Virgin. Antonio carved this statue himself.

Legend has it that King John V ordered a copy of the statue to be sent to Portugal as a gift. But the ship with the statue sank, and waves brought the statue back to the Brazilian shores. Since then, this statue is the main object of worship in the church of Gloria.

The shape of the Church of Gloria is truly unique - thanks to two octagonal towers, the building resembles the sign of "infinity".