FÁTIMA

The town acquired its name from a legend of a Moorish princess called Fatima. She was kidnapped by a crusading Christian knight, Gonçalo Hermigues, and his companions. Hermigues took her to a small village in the Serra de Aire hills in the recently created Kingdom of Portugal. According to the Western Catholic narrative, Fatima fell in love with her abductor and decided to convert to Christianity to marry him. She was baptised and given a Christian name, Oureana. For most of the town's history, Fátima remained an unassuming and insignificant sleepy place until the 13th of May 1917 when three shepherd children first witnessed visions of the Virgin Mary in grazing land in Cova da Iria, just outside of town.

The cousins Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta encountered repeated visions on the 13th day of each subsequent month until October. During these apparitions, three secrets were revealed to them, secrets which were considered prophecies regarding such events as The Second World War, the rise and fall of Communism and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Following criticism and accusations from local people, the children asked the "Virgin of the Rosary" for a sign so they would be believed. So during the final appearance, a mysterious event occurred and witnessed by 70,000 people, a phenomenon later called "The miracle of the Sun" (O milagre do sol). It's been well documented that during the pouring rain, the crowds at Fátima saw the sun suddenly revolve on its axis and throw out multi-coloured rays of light. There were also claims of several miraculous cures in the days that followed.

Ever since the prophecies were given to the shepherd children, they have been investigated, debated and scrutinised by church officials and academics alike. For believers, the events of 13th October 1917 are proof of the divine, a conviction backed up by official recognition from the Vatican in 1930. For the pragmatists, the events can be explained by local natural atmospherical phenomena.

Speculation also continues today about the three secrets revealed to the children, who were seven, nine and ten at the time. The first two revelations are public knowledge. The first being a description of "Hell". The second foretold a speedy end to the First World War and predicted a dreadful war to follow if the world did not cease offending God. The third prophecy was confided in writing to the Vatican in 1941 by Lúcia. She had entered a convent in 1928, but she also stipulated it should not be made public before 1960. To date, no Pope has. Lúcia outlived her two cousins Francisco and Jacinta, who succumb to the Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia lived a devout life as a Carmelite Nun until 2005 and will probably receive the same honour as her cousins and be beatified in due course.

The sanctuary was constructed in various phases over time at or near the area of Cova da Iria, where the three children witnessed the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary (later known as Our Lady of Fátima by parishioners and pilgrims). The sanctuary includes a myriad of buildings, shrines and monuments. The site represents the religious, political and social consequences of the event. Central to the complex is the small Chapel of the Apparitions and its shelter, marking the exact spot where legend suggests many of the events of the Apparitions took place and where the first pilgrims venerated the Marian apparitions.

CHAPEL OF THE APPARATIONS

During the apparition on the 13th of October, Mary asked Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta to construct a chapel in her honour. Work began in 1919 on the very spot as five of the six occurrences. On the 6th of March 1922, anti-catholic adversaries planted a bomb within the unfinished shrine and caused considerable damage precipitating the second stage of construction. It re-opened on the 13th of January 1923. Today the Chapel of the Apparitions is housed inside a glass enclosure opened on one side. Pope John Paul II inaugurated the chapel during the first visit in 1982. Inside you'll find a sculpture of Our Lady where she stood under an oak tree. The sculpture created by José Ferreira Thedim is carved from Brazilian cedarwood and measures just over one metre tall. Cardinal Aloisi Masella, a pontifical legate, solemnly crowned it on the 13th of May 1946. The crown is made of solid gold weighing 1.2 KG and contains 313 pearls and 2679 precious stones. The crown also contains a bullet removed from John Paul II following his assassination attempt in 1981. The statuette only wears her crown on special occasions.

THE BASILICA

Dominating the 150,000 square metres (37 acres) plaza at the Sanctuary is the impressive neo-classical limestone Basilica whose bell tower reaches 65 metres (213 ft) into the heavens. Sitting on top is a bronze crown weighing 7KG. A white marble statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, measuring 4.73 metres tall, occupies a niche on the face of the tower. There's a 62-bell carillon inside the tower. The largest bell weighs approximately 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) with a 90 kilograms (200 lb) clapper. Flanking the tower two long colonnades spread outwards linking it with the extensive conventual and hospital buildings.

The construction of the Basilica commenced on May 13th, 1928, and was eventually consecrated in October 1953. Inside there are altars dedicated to the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. A painting above the high altar denotes Our Lady passing on her messages to the children. The basilica is the final resting place of all three shepherd children. Their tombs lie behind the high altar.
Open for mass from 07h30.
360 Rua de Santa Isabel, 2495-424, Fátima, Portugal. | 39º 37' 55.7" N | 08º 40' 18.4" W
+351 249 539 600 | info@fatima.pt |  Website

AROUND THE SANCTUARY

The Big Holm Oak is a replacement for the tree where the three Shepard children awaited the apparitions of Mary. Over-enthusiastic relic hunters destroyed the original. Its original location lies within the Chapel of the Apparitions. The Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands atop a pillar in the centre of the square. It is built on the location of a sacred natural spring. At the entrance to the sanctuary, there's an enclosure containing a segment of the Berlin Wall. It was brought to Fátima in 1994 to mark the connection between the visions and the fall of Communism. The large circular building opposite the sanctuary is the Paul VI Pastoral Centre, a complex dedicated to the study and contemplation of the message of Fátima.

Close by is the Sacred Way which marks the route the young shepherds would have taken from their homes in Aljustrel. Along the way, 15 small chapels and shrines mark the points of particular interest, such as the The Well of Arneiro once in the garden of Lucia's house and the site of a second apparition. The Valinhos monument is where the fourth manifestation of Our Lady appeared.

The homes of the shepherd children have been preserved over time and now are museums open to the public. In the village of Aljustrel a short distance from the Sanctuary is the home of Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
Daily: 09h30 - 17h00.
42 Rua de Aljustrel, Fátima, 2495-301, Portugal.
39º 36' 58.7" N | 08º 39' 48.8" W
+351 249 521 777

Two minutes away is the family home of Lúcia de Jesus dos Santos who lived her adult life as a nun. On February 13, 2017, Sister Lúcia was accorded the title Servant of God, as the first major step toward her canonisation.
Daily: 09h30 - 17h00.
86 Rus dos Pastorinhos, Fátima, 2495-301, Portugal.
39º 36' 56.7" N | 08º 39' 53.7" W
+351 249 781 638

Not all the interesting things in the Fátima area are associated with the heavens. For those who seek pleasures of the underworld, the largest network of subterranean caverns in Portugal are found in Mira de Aire, only over eight miles (13.5km) south of Fátima. The caves extend almost eleven kilometres (7 mi) into the hills of the Parque Natural das Serras de Aire e Candeeiros. The Mira de Aire Caves are one of the seven natural wonders of Portugal. Over several levels, the visitor descends 683 steps into the depths, where multi-coloured lights illuminate an array of stalactites, stalagmites and other geological features to great effect. For 45 minutes visitors are skilfully guided through the site stopping along the way for explanations of how nature formed such wonders. Highlights of the tour include an underground lake and a waterfall. The Mira de Aire caves were stumbled upon by local residents in 1947, however they didn't open to the public until 1974. Above ground, there's a small water park with swimming pools and a bar for adults and water slides to keep the young ones amused.
High Season: Daily 09h30 – 19h00, Low Season: Daily 09h30 – 17h30
Adult: €6.60, Child <12 Yrs: €3.90

470 Av. Dr. Luciano Justo Ramos, Mira de Aire, 2485-001, Portugal. | 39º 32' 39.3" N | 08º 42' 57.6" W
+351 244 440 322 | grutasmiradaire.com |  Website

Non-creationists in the Fátima area head straight to the Pegadas dos Dinossáurios just outside the village of Bairro in the Serra de Aire hills six miles (10km) south of Fátima. It was here, in 1994, palaeontologists were astonished to discover the oldest and largest collection of preserved Sauropod tracks found anywhere in the world. The footprints of these giant herbivores are believed to be 175 million years old, first trodden in an ancient shallow lagoon since petrified into limestone. Hundreds of giant tracks (pegadas) are easy to see cast along a 150-metre area within a disused quarry floor. Judging by the spacing between the footprints experts believe these sauropods were up to thirty metres in length.
In the park, there are full-size Sauropod statues and information boards that explain in further detail.
Tuesday - Sunday 10h00 – 12h30/14h00 – 18h00
€3.00

Estrada de Fátima, Ourém, 2490-216, Portugal.
39º 34' 20.5" N | 08º 35' 40.3" W
+351 249 530 160
dinossaurios@hotmail.com |  Website