proudly perched on the top of the hill near the entrance to the lagoon, is saquarema's exquisite church of nossa senhora de nazaré - originally built in 1662, the igreja matriz nossa senhora de nazaré has undergone a number of renovations over the years, resulting in the grand structure that stands there today.

still a functioning church, each year between the 30th august and 8th september, nossa senhora de nazaré hosts the festa de nossa senhora de nazareth - welcoming over 100 thousand pilgrims and visitors, it is the third largest religious event in brazil.

saquarema is also home to a site of great historical importance in brazil, the sambaqui de beirada, or beirada shellmound museum - the museum is an open-air archaeological exhibition, registered in 1995, and opened in 1997, it was the first of it's kind in brazil.