Our Lady of Exile
Florianépolis, Brazil (1673)
On February 17, 1673, according to local tradition, fortune-hunter Francisco Dias Velho of Sao Paulo founded the town of Nossa Senhora do Desterro on Santa Catarina Island in southern Brazil.
He occupied the area with his family, two Jesuits, a few other Brazilians, and hundreds of Indian workers.
From their settlement grew the present city of Florianopolis, and from its chapel the Cathedral, named for the city’s patron, Our Lady of Exile, honored annually on this date.
A sculpture in the Cathedral shows the Holy Family on their way to Egypt. Carved of lindenwood by the Demetz workshop in the Italian Tyrol, the statue was blessed on May 30, 1902.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
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