In 1849, just 19 years after the apparitions in France, the first church dedicated to the Miraculous Medal was built in Monte Sião.
According to the website of the Archdiocese of Pousso Alegre, in 1830 when Mary appeared to St. Catherine, the Monte Sião region was inhabited by about 105 Catholic families. There was no church or priest, and traveling there was precarious.
However, accounts indicate that by 1838, “devotion to the Miraculous Medal was already there.”
On March 29, 1849, the construction of the chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal was authorized, and it was consecrated on April 13, 1850.
The first of the graces received came when a statue depicting the image of Mary on the medal arrived from Portugal in 1860. However, in 1937 it was removed from the main altar at the request of the bishop, who considered that the statue had “sensual lines” because it highlighted the bust and waist.
The image was then taken to a chapel in the rural area and the faithful felt its absence. After that date, the city “was ravaged by a great drought” until 1939.