Brejo da Madre de Deus

Brejo da Madre de Deus is a city in Pernambuco Interior, Brazil.

The city is famous for the Paixão de Cristo that takes place in Nova Jerusalém, in the district of Fazenda Nova.

Districts

• Fazenda Nova is 20 km away from the center of the city

Get in

By plane

Fly to Recife Guararapes International Airport. A closer, but much smaller airport, can be found in Caruaru.

By car

From Recife, the main route to Nova Jerusalém goes along the modern BR-232 interstate highway, through the cities of Gravatá and Caruaru. In Caruaru, take BR-104 in the direction of Campina Grande. At the Trevo do Cangaceiro de Pedra crossways, take state highway PE-145, which leads to Nova Jerusalém (22 kilometers).

Alternative routes: (i) BR-408, PE-90 and BR-104 (through Carpina, Surubim and Toritama); (ii) BR-408, PE-95 and BR-104 (through Carpina, Limoeiro, Passira, Riacho das Almas and Caruaru).

• Recife: 184 km
• Caruaru: 51 km
• Campina Grande: 170 km
• João Pessoa: 300 km

See

• 1 Paixão de Cristo de Nova Jerusalém. World's largest open-air theater. Passion of Christ and monumental city (real-size replica of Jerusalem during Jesus' time). More than 200,000 thousand visitors during Easter. 
• Historical buildings in the center of town. Colonial tiles from the 1700s and early 1800s.
• Typical Northeastern street market
• Serra da Prata Lookout (1,000 meters above sea level).
• Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Bom Conselho Church
• Matriz de São José Church (1792)
• Casa da Câmara e Cadeia (1845), by French architect Louis Vauthier
• Historical and Archeological Museum (Museu Histórico do Brejo da Madre de Deus)
• Monumental Sculpture Park (Parque de Esculturas Monumentais Nilo Coelho) in Fazenda Nova. Gigantic granite figures sculpted by local artisans. Inspired in themes from local culture and history.
• Vila de Fazenda Nova, typical small village from Northeastern Brazil. Most extras in the Passion of Christ are locals from the village. Public thermal waters.

Do

• 1 New Jerusalem Theater (Nova Jerusalém), Fazenda Nova.  
• Pedra do Cachorro (Dog Rock): adventure trails through caatinga vegetation. Trekking, climbing, rappelling in Fazenda Nova.
• Pedra da Lua (Moon Rock): prehistorical cave paintings in Fazenda Nova.
• Trekking in the Mata Atlântica forest in Fazenda Nova. Sobradinho and Araras waterfalls.
• Forró dance.
• Thematic dinners (Christian/Roman) in the city-theater.

Traditional handicrafts. Sculptures in granite. Objects made with straw. Very fine "Renascença" lace ana embroidery.

Eat

• Local cuisine includes dishes made from goat meat and macaxeira (also known as manioc or yucca).
• Desserts include cocada (coconut-based sweet), cakes, sequilhos.

Drink

• Carrot-based liquor and cocktails.

• Pousada da Paixão, Teatro de Nova Jerusalém, tel.: +55 81 3732-1602.
• Grande Hotel Fazenda Nova, tel.: +55 81 3732-1137
• Parque Hotel Fazenda Nova, tel.: +55 81 3732-1119
• Other options in Caruaru and Recife.