We hired a car from Lagos and headed North towards Fatima. A couple of hours later we arrived in Fatima and hopped onto a "mini train/tour bus" that took us around the area.

We wanted to visit Fatima because of its incredible history and a city famous for the religious visions that took place there in 1917.

Fátima's claim to fame is the shrine called the Sanctuary of Fátima, built to commemorate the events of 1917 when three peasant children claimed to have seen the "Virgin of the Rosary", Our Lady of Fatima.
As we passed through the centre of town we saw the monument of the 3 shepherds.

As in most small villages in the early years of the century, the parish church was the center of life and faith in Fatima. It was here that the three childrens were baptised and where Lucy made her first confession at six years of age.














We spent quite a while at the Sanctuary - which began in 1928 and consecrated October 1953.



Its 15 altars are dedicated to the 15 mysteries of the Rosary. The painting above the high altar depicts the Message of Our Lady to the little shepherds through their encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. Scenes of the apparitions are represented in stained glass. In the four corners of the Basilica interior are placed the statues of the great apostles of the Rosary and of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: St. Anthony Claret, St. Dominic of Gusman, St. John Eudes and St. Stephen, King of Hungary. The tombs of Francisco and Jacinta are in the Basilica














On the far side of the esplanade rises the gigantic basilica, in neo-classical style, with a central tower 65 meters high, the construction of which was begun on 13 May 1928. In the basilica are the tombs of two of the three seers, Franciso Marto and Jacinta Marto, who died in 1919 and 1920 respectively. The third seer, Lucia dos Santos died in 2005. Our Lady of Fatima is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary by those who believe that she appeared to three shepherd children at Fatima on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on 13 May. The children related that the apparition specifically identified herself as "the Lady of the Rosary".

We were fascinated as we walked around the Sanctuary. It was massive and there were crowds of people, which you hardly noticed because of the span of space. I was particulary fascinated how the people dropped to their knees and were crawling on their knees, praying with the rosary. They would shuffle on their knees all the way up to the end of the Sanctuary in prayer. There were sermons going on in different areas and lighting of the candles, processions of prayer and praise. It was truly an amazing experience and I am so glad that we got to visit.

The children actually experienced the apparitions in a pasture called the Cova da Iria near the viillage of Aljustrel, about a mile from Fátima.
Pilgrims gather in the Cova, on a huge esplanade in which is built a little chapel where the Virgin is believed to have appeared to the children. Around the esplanade area shops and stalls fill the street selling all kinds of religious articles.

The area we walked around was rather deserted as we were there after the last tourist bus left, leaving us alone in our own thoughts and wonderment as to what exactly had happened in this area and why here?

We wandered around the Home of Lucia. At the bottom of the garden of Lucia's home is the well, where the "Angel of Peace", the "Angel of Portugal", appeared for the second time.

We left Fatima and made our way towards Covilha, a town in the Serra de Estrella. Needless to say after getting lost at every turn we finally found our hotel just before midnight.

History of Fatima and the 3 shepherd children