Visit to Sanctuary of our lady of Fátima in Cova da Iria
This is about an apparition of the Virgin Mary in front of three shepherd children near Evora several times between May and October of 1917. These apparitions have culminated with the Miracle of the Sun, when thousands of people have gathered to see the children’s premonition come true and when the sun danced around the skies above Fatima on the 13th of October in 1917.
On May 13, 3 young shepherds, Lúcia, Jacinta and Francisco, aged between 10 and 7 years old, have seen “a lady brighter than the sun” in Cova da Iria, close to the village where they lived, in Aljustrel. This apparition repeated in the following months until on October 13, 1917, when she presented herself as the Lady of the Rosary and brought an important message to the world.
Photo: Fatima in Portugal.
HOLIDAYS IN PORTUGAL
If you are thinking about making your next holidays in Portugal, consider stopping by a hot stop of religious tourism, Fátima that receives around 8 million pilgrims a year. Most of the tourists that get to this spiritual city come because it is known for the miracles that took place in what is today the iconic Sanctuary of Fátima. The sanctuary even sparks the curiosity of atheists and it receives all religions.
Our trips to Portugal make visiting these places a simple and comfortable way to go sightseeing
Photo: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima.
VIRGEN DE FÁTIMA IN PORTUGAL
Fatima is perhaps the most unique destination from Portugal. Nestled in the heart of central Portugal, this city is well-known as the location of a series of Marian Apparitions, or appearances of the Virgin Mary.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima is the most important spot, an impressive religious complex that has 2 basilicas, a chapel that was built on the site of the apparitions and some other religious monuments that are commemorating the events of 1917.
Where is Fatima in Portugal?
Fátima is located in the Central Region of Portugal, about 130 kilometers away from Lisbon and less than 200 kilometers away from Porto.
The pilgrimage site of Fatima is located in the parish of Fatima at the Cova da Iria. The Cova belonged to the families of three shepherd children who pastured the family’s sheep there. The children were Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco Marto and his younger sister, Jacinta.
Here you can find a map of Fatima Portugal.
The 3 children of Fatima
The history of Fatima and the religious pilgrimage that takes place here is related to the 3 children: Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The sweetness and the innocence of the humble shepherds took them to see the Virgen de Fatima. On 13th of May 1917, a few kilometers from Fatima, they saw a light. The Virgin asked the 3 children to pray for the good of the world, and said that she would return during the following months, every 13th day of the month. The last apparition was in October when around 70,000 pilgrims witnessed the Miracle of the Sun.
The Miracle of the Sun (Milagre do Sol)
Also known as the Miracle of Fátima, this was a series of events that occurred on October 13 in 1917. Attended by a large crowd who had gathered in Fátima, Portugal, Virgin Mary appeared and made miracles. The newspapers published testimony from witnesses that have seen extraordinary solar activity, like the Sun who danced or zig-zag in the sky, or a multicolored light and some radiant colors.
Photo: Milagre de Fátima. Carlos Goulão. Adapted under license (CC BY 2.0)
Fatima pilgrimage
The Sanctuary of Fátima annually welcomes a very large number of pilgrims and tourists. Many of them come to participate in the celebrations that commemorate the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima.
In the Fátima calendar, the dates May 13th (the first apparition) and October 13th (the last one) is a rise in the number of visitors that the Santuário de Fátima receives.
This Portuguese city is considered holy ground
Photo: Our Lady of Fatima International Pilgrim Statue. Adapted under license (CC BY-SA 2.0)
THE SANCTUARY OF OUR LADY OF FÁTIMA
A great part of the things you need to see in Fatima are placed in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima complex. This is a huge open space that has rooms to receive and accommodate thousands of pilgrims during the religious festivals. The heart of this sanctuary is the Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Rosario, which is also home to the tombs of two of the visionaries. This is probably the best place to begin a tour of Fatima.
You can visit the Sanctuary of Fátima (called Santarém in Portuguese) for free at all hours of the day and year-round. Besides, there are more than a dozen religious ceremonies that take place here.
Fatima in Portugal, also known as the ‘city of peace’, is a renowned place of Christian pilgrimage and home to one of the world’s most important Marian shrines
The Shepherd’s House
If you visit Fatima you may want to stop by the Shepherd House’s, which represents the homes of the children who experienced the apparitions. The modest abodes from back then have been restored similar to how they were in 1917, and this gives visitors an image about how the locals lived during the Miracle of the Sun.
Francisco and Jacinta Marto: visit their home museum
Visiting the family homes where the 3 children lived provides a window into what life was like in rural Portugal during the early 20th century. Now a museum, the home is at a short distance from the Sanctuary, located in a village called Aljustrel.
Whether you come as part of a pilgrimage or just a humble observer, there’s an undeniable presence in Fátima
THREE SECRETS OF FÁTIMA
Fatima involves three secrets:
- In 1917 The Blessed Mother said that in order to save the souls from hell Russia needed to be converted
- In 1938, the sky across Europe was illuminated with a red light, maybe the strongest Aurora Borealis ever known to mankind
- In 1981, Pope John Paul II said that Our Lady of Fatima saved his life.
Our lady of Fatima pilgrimage and the Pilgrim Statue
The first Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was made according to Sister Lucia’s instructions and offered by the Bishop of Leiria on the 13th of May 1947. From that date on, the Statue travelled worldwide, in many occasions, carrying a message of peace and love around the world.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary is just one of the two basilicas that are placed in the Sanctuary of Fátima (the other one is Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity). According to the Apparitions of Fátima, this was the place where the 3 little shepherds were playing when they saw Virgin Mary.
Inside the church you can see the tombs of Jacinta Marto and Francisco Marto and next to Jacinta, there are the remains of their cousin Lúcia dos Santos, who is better known as Sister Lúcia de Jesus.
Photo: Sanctuary of Fátima.
Fatima rosary or el rosario de la Virgen de Fátima
From the first of her appearances, the Virgin of Fatima revealed to the 3 children the power of praying the Holy Rosary. Back then, Lucia asked if she and Jacinta would go to Heaven. The Virgin Mary said yes.
Then she opened her hands and showed them a very intense divine light. The children fell to their knees and praised the Holy Trinity. Virgin Mary told them they needed to pray the rosary every day in order to achieve peace in the world and the end of the war.
COME TO SEE THE MIRACLE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA
Feel the magic of Fátima, a place of faith and pilgrimage and also one of the most important religious centers from the entire world! Let us take you to one of the most sacred places on Earth!
