About Fatima

CARLOS REIS - The baptism - Oil on canvas - National Museum of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro

FATIMA was a humble place and inhabited by equally humble people who basically depended on herding and agriculture. In 1917, an event would change the lives of three children and the village itself, which would become the largest pilgrimage center in the western world.

To pilgrimage to FATIMA is to meet the place where Heaven touched the Earth. Referred by pilgrims as the Altar of the world, in Fatima no one is indifferent to the Message and the presence of the Virgin Mary.

Located 120 km from Lisbon, Fatima offers its visitors the possibility to spend a quiet day with time to attend the 11 am mass, visit the places of the Apparitions, have lunch, buy religious articles for friends and family and return to Lisbon in the middle of the afternoon.

The Sanctuary of Fatima is one of the greatest references of the cult of Mary and visited by pilgrims from all over the world. There is a deep connection of the Popes and the Sanctuary and the message of Fatima. John Paul II, who was devoted to Our Lady of Fatima, visited in 1982 the Sanctuary to show gratitude for having survived an attack suffered a year before. On his third visit to the site - in 2000, he announced the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco Marto, to whom the Vatican attributed the miracle of a cure.

In the year of the Centenary of the Apparitions - in 2017, Pope Francis was in Fatima and presided the Mass, during which he canonized the little shepherds Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the youngest non-martyr saints of the Catholic Church.

THE SANCTUARY of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima - Cova de Iria 

It was at Cova de Iria that Our Lady appeared to the three seers on May 13, 1917 (the first apparition. Since the second apparition (June 13, 1917), the place of the Apparitions has been a destination for pilgrimage.
The Sanctuary of Fatima stands out as one of the most important Catholic places of worship in the world, attracting around five million pilgrims annually.

Chapel of the Apparitions

Built in response to Our Lady's request “I want you to make a chapel here”. Here Our Lady appeared full of light and spoke to the Little Shepherds. In this place the Virgin appeared five times: in May, June, July, September and October 1917.

Valinhos

The fourth apparition (August 19, 1917) took place in this place. Here, Our Lady met with the three Little Shepherds again after they failed to meet on the 13th because they were taken to Ourém for interrogation and prevented from going to Cova de Iria.

Loca do Cabeço

In the Spring and Autumn of 1916, the three Little Shepherds were surprised by the presence of the Angel of Peace, in this place.
When he reached them, he said:
- Don't be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.

The Arneiro Well

The little shepherds sat on this well, talking, playing and praying. On a summer day, it was here that the second apparition of the Angel took place.
When he found them he asked: “What are you doing? Pray, pray a lot.”

PLACES OF WORSHIP AND PRAYER in the Sanctuary

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima

The three Little Shepherds were on May 13 1917 in this place playing at the top of the slope of Cova de Iria making a "small wall" and "suddenly saw as if it was a lightning". Years later the Basilica was constructed (between 1928 and 1953).

Basilica of the Holy Trinity

In 1973, the intention arose to build a new church in the Sanctuary of Fatima. The first stone was laid in 2004. It was inaugurated on October 12, 2007, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Apparitions. The whole church is white in color, covered with stone from the region: Branco do Mar (white from the sea). The Basilica has a total of 8,633 seats, including 76 for people with limited mobility. Its construction was paid completely with donations from visitors.

Azinheira Grande (Big Holm Oak)

With more than 100 years of existence, it was the largest tree in Cova de Iria in 1917. It was not on top of this tree that Our Lady appeared, but the three little shepherds took shelter in the tree's shade for the recitation of the Rosary, preparing to receive the visit of Our Lady.

Berlin Wall Monument

The concrete block of the Berlin Wall represents the fall of the communist regime in the USSR, recalling the revelation of one of the secrets of Fatima.

Cruz Alta (High Cross)

Inside the sanctuary, the cross is the sign that rises highest at 34 meters high.

Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Made of golden bronze offered by a pilgrim, its location in the middle of the Shrine marks the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ in the Message of Fatima. it is a fountain built on a well, the well's water has been instrument of many graces.

TEMPORARY EXHIBITION: Vestida de Branco (Dressed in White) – Commemorative Exhibition of the Centenary of the First Sculpture of Our Lady of Fatima - FREE ENTRY - from November 30, 2019 to October 15, 2020

The most important sculpture of contemporary Catholicism was created in Portugal, from the narrative of the Apparitions of Fatima. The centenary of its creation is a time for reflection on the relationship between art and devotion and an opportunity to contemplate the most beautiful images of the Virgin Mary, the Woman “Dressed in White”.

Source: Fatima Sanctuary

Casa das Candeias (Candle House) – Museum Center of the Francisco and Jacinta Marto Foundation

Evocation of the life and spirituality of Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The Secret

Composed of three parts, the first two of which have long been revealed, the Secret of Fatima is formed by revelations made by Our Lady to the three Little Shepherds in the third appearance on July 13, 1917, about which She asked for them to keep it private, indicating that those secrets should not be transmitted to anyone.

“Do not tell this to anyone. To Francisco, yes, you can tell it”, was the instruction given, according to Lúcia.

The third and final part of the Secret of Fatima was revealed on May 13, 2000 (…).

About the Fatima Experience, Pilgrim for 1 Day

from LISBON, private and taylor made

We'll leave Lisbon towards Fatima. Before arriving at the Sanctuary, we will visit Loca do Cabeço - it was here that the first and third Apparitions of the Angel of Peace took place, in the Spring and Autumn of 1916 - and the Arneiro Well - over this well many times the Little Shepherds sat, talking, playing, praying. Here, on a summer day, the second Apparition of the Angel of Peace took place, in 1916. - Still in Aljustrel - village where the three seers were born, lived and from where they guided their flock of sheeps to Cova de Iria, we will visit the houses from San Francisco and Saint Jacinta and Sister Lúcia's house, which are open for visits by pilgrims and did not undergo any significant transformation after the Apparitions. Between the 8th and 9th stations of the Via Sacra you will find Valinhos, where the fourth Apparition of the Virgin took place, on August 19, 1917, since on August 13 the Three Little Shepherds were detained for questioning and prevented from going to Cova de Iria.

1 km from Aljustrel and 2 km from the Sanctuary, you will find the Parish Church of Fatima, where the seers were baptized and made their insertion in the Christian community. It was here that Lucia made her first communion, San Francisco spent many hours in prayer and Saint Jacinta had an Apparition of Our Lady who taught her to meditate on the Rosary. We continue on to Cova de Iria, where the sanctuary's place of prayers and monuments \are located. The Chapel of the Apparitions, considered the heart of the Sanctuary, was built in 1919, in the exact location of the Apparitions. In addition to the Chapel of Apparitions you will also be able to visit and contemplate in the Sanctuary: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Basilica of the Holy Trinity, Cruz Alta, Fontanário, Azinheira Grande, temporary exhibition and a few meters from the Sanctuary the Casa das Candeias Museum Center. Time (1 hour) for lunch. Return to Lisbon.

Our Guides

Our guides have been tireless in their search for knowledge about the Message of Our Lady of Fatima and the lives of the Little Shepherds and will be happy to share this knowledge with you. In the last 6 years we have been constantly going to the Shrine for work and, also, have participated continuously in the Courses on the Message of Fatima and on the Life of the Little Shepherds, training actions promoted by the Shrine of Fatima, which makes us believe “that, in Fatima, the Virgin sounded a voice that found a deep echo in the Christian people”.

This Experience is private and was created from our own experience and learning during our visits to Fatima over the past few years. However, the itinerary presented can be changed and made to your needs if you have any preference in choosing the places to visit or in another attraction in Fatima.

About your PICK UP and DROP OFF Time

As a rule, start and end of the service is from 9 am to 5 pm. However, it is not a strict schedule and can be flexible depending on your needs. Contact us!

About your PICK UP and DROP OFF Local

We can pick you up and drop you off at your Hotel, Apartment, Cruise Terminal, Airport or at a location of your choice. Contact us!