Juazeiro do Norte is a city in the state of Ceará

Ceará

Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...

 state in northeastern Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. It is located 528 km south of the state capital Fortaleza

Fortaleza

Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...

 in the arid sertão

Sertão

In Portuguese, the word sertão first referred to the vast hinterlands of Asia that Lusitanian explorers encountered. In Brazil, the geographical term referred to backlands away from the Atlantic coastal regions where the Portuguese first settled in South America in the early sixteenth century...

. The municipality has a population of 246.515 (2008 official estimate) and covers 248 km².

Juazeiro do Norte is best known as the base of the charismatic priest and politician Padre Cícero

Padre Cícero

Padre Cícero was born Cícero Romão Batista in Ceará, Brazil. He was the son of Joaquim Romão Batista and Joaquina Vicência Romana. When he was 6 years old, he started to study with professor Rufino de Alcântara Montezuma.One important thing about his infancy is his pledge of chastity, made when he...

 (Cícero Romão Batista) (1844-1934). A pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

 in his honour takes place every November, attracting thousands of followers.

The city is served by Orlando Bezerra de Menezes Airport

Juazeiro do Norte Airport

Orlando Bezerra de Menezes Airport is the airport serving Juazeiro do Norte, Brazil. It is named after a local politician and entrepreneur.It is operated by Infraero.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:...

History

Juazeiro do Norte was initially a district of the nearby city Crato, until a young Padre Cícero Romão Batista

Padre Cícero

Padre Cícero was born Cícero Romão Batista in Ceará, Brazil. He was the son of Joaquim Romão Batista and Joaquina Vicência Romana. When he was 6 years old, he started to study with professor Rufino de Alcântara Montezuma.One important thing about his infancy is his pledge of chastity, made when he...

 decided to stay as a cleric in the village. Padre Cícero was then responsible for the independence and emancipation of the city. Because of the so-called "milagre de Juazeiro" ("miracle in Juazeiro", when Padre Cícero

Padre Cícero

Padre Cícero was born Cícero Romão Batista in Ceará, Brazil. He was the son of Joaquim Romão Batista and Joaquina Vicência Romana. When he was 6 years old, he started to study with professor Rufino de Alcântara Montezuma.One important thing about his infancy is his pledge of chastity, made when he...

 gave the sacred host to the religious sister Maria de Araújo, the host became blood), the priest was associated with mystical characteristics and began to be venerated by the people as a saint. Today the city is the second largest in the state and a reference in the Northeast

Northeast Region, Brazil

The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....

region thanks to the priest.