Feast of Our Lady of Penha

Arrival of a family at the Penha train station in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, to attend the Feast of the Miraculous Lady of Penha.

By General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

2nd Sunday–Feast of Our Miraculous Lady of Penha, grounds and templeGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Penha Train Station

The scenes in the film record one of the longest-running celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, seen here between the 1920s and 1930s. We witness what appears to be the arrival of a family at the train station for the Penha Feast and their return home inside the wagon.

Festa de Nossa Senhora da PenhaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Feast of Our Lady of Penha

The Church of Penha had a famous staircase built by slaves in 1819. The Feast of Penha, which has been held since the 18th century, takes place on Sundays in October, although the saint's day is commemorated on September 8.

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da PenhaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Church of our Lady of Pena, undated

Legend has it that a miracle happened on the site of the church. Baltazar Abreu Cardoso, owner of the land and captain, was delivered from a snake attack after asking for protection from Our Lady. In gratitude, he instructed that a chapel be built on the cliff.

FotogramaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Penha station—Saracuruna branch

Sung about in music and intertwined with one another, the neighborhood and sanctuary became popular as a result of the feast. The creation of the train station in Penha helped to make the celebration one of the most beloved and attended in the city, second only to the Rio carnival.

Arraial da Penha, onde se localiza a IgrejaGeneral Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Arraial da Penha

Application for the construction of the wall and gate to the land of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Penha de França, made on May 4, 1903.

Vista aérea do bairro da Penha e, em destaque, a Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Penha.General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Penha: The church neighborhood

The Church of Penha became a cultural heritage site in 1990 when the Rio Institute listed it as a World Heritage site.

Credits: Story

Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
Eduardo Paes

Secretary of State
Eduardo Cavaliere

General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro
Rosa Maria Araujo

Documentation Center
Maria Thereza Kahl Fonseca

Curatorship and historical research
Conrado Werneck Pimentel

Editing
Conrado Werneck Pimentel

Text revision
Pedro Paulo Malta

Interns
Luísa da Costa de Oliveira and Marcelle Araujo Lins

Film digitization
LUPA/UFF - University Laboratory for Audiovisual Preservation

ReferencesO caso da Igreja da Penha, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, e sua patrimonialização
Ana Gabriela Saba
Ramos, Olaria e Penha
Cristina Vignoli Moraes, Laura Nery e Marcio Scalércio

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

Stories from General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City

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