Fátima

Cova da Iria, the place where the Sanctuary of Fátima is located, was before 1917 an unknown place in the the municipality of Ourém. In that year, a religious event changed forever its history and importance, when three little shepherds , Jacinta, her brother Francisco and her cousin Lúcia, witnessed successive apparitions of Our Lady of Rosary.

The sanctuary’s worldwide fame increased during the papacy years of John Paul II, a confessed devotee of Our Lady of Fátima, who travelled in 1982 to the sanctuary as an acknowledgement for having survived an assassination attempt the year before. During his third visit to the site, in 2000,he announced the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, to whom the Vatican attributed a miracle of healing.

The first apparition occurred on 13th May, followed by others on the same day of the ensuing months until October, and that is the day of the main celebrations in Fátima. One of the most important events is the Candle Procession, on the evening of 12thMay. It is as impressive as the Farewell Procession on the 13th

But every month, especially on the 12th and 13th, thousands of pilgrims come to Fátima guided by their faith. They set out from different parts of the country, many of them making the journey on foot, following roads and rural lanes. In order to facilitate this movement, a set of four Fátima Ways – the Tagus Way, the Northern Way, the Nazaré Way and the Coastal Way - have been signposted and can easily be followed, even by those who barely know the region.

As you enter the Prayer Area, at one end you will see the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, with its tall 65-metre tower. In the centre is the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and, on one side, the Chapel of Apparitions, exactly where Our Lady asked the little shepherds to build a chapel.

At the opposite end, the Most Holy Trinity Church – Minor Basilica, inaugurated in 2007, is a modern piece of architecture, with a capacity for about 8,700 people.

In 2017, the centenary of the apparitions was celebrated. The religious celebrations on 12th and 13th May were attended by His Holiness Pope Francis.

Besides the Sanctuary, one can visit in the area the Museum of Sacred Art and Ethnology and the Wax Museum.

A cerca de 2 km, fica Aljustrel, onde os pastorinhos viveram.