100 years ago, the little town Fatima, not far away from Lisbon, became known worldwide for the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Three children claimed to experience the present of Our Lady on several days between the 13^th May and the 13^th October 1917 at a place called Cova da Iria. Starting on 13^th of May 1917 with the order to pray the rosary for world peace, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared every 13^th of a month for six months.

Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Lucia dos Santos, (source: speramus-hope)

Our Lady of Fatima prophesied the so called three secrets of Fatima on the 13^th of July which are interpreted by many people according to events which happened in Europe. The last apparition was watched by hundreds of bystanders and if you can believe in the sayings of witnesses, a sun phenomenon which is still a miracle to the science could be watched on the 13^th October 1917.

the last apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (source: the Catholic Company)

Although, it took the church a while to officially approve the events happened in Cova da Iria, Fatima is nowadays one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Catholics. People from all over the world come together in the little town to repent and ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for forgiveness. The supernatural and preternatural phenomena on the 13^th October 1917 made people believe in the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, however, the church backs out of this statement and highlights instead the significant role of the content and meaning of the message communicated to the children. According to the three kids, the Lady of Fatima gave three tasks to not only bring peace to the world but remain peaceful with each other.

Be sorry for what you’ve done wrong; put God first in your life.

Pray the Rosary each day for peace.

Make sacrifices for sinners so they will know and love God.

Our Lady of Fatima, (source: Turismo Centro de Portugal)

Normally, celebrations of the apparition are reduced to the 12^th of May with a candlelight procession to pray the rosary and the 13^th of May where the so called farewell procession is held. However, due to the 100^th anniversary, celebrations will be held throughout the year 2017. The highlight will be the visit of Pope Francis to Fatima in May. Coming to Portugal as pilgrim, his program is dominated mainly by moments of prayers. The only scheduled meetings are the ones with the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the Prime Minister António Costa.

While the Pope mainly focus on visiting the Basilica, Fatima offers way more to tourists including the incredible Batalha monastery which is a wonder to experience. Other holy sites such as Nazaré and wonderful medieval villages such as Obidos are very close to Fatima. Moreover, the town offers the perfect one day trip from Lisbon!

candlelight procession, (source: mercy hour)

Basilica, (source: get your guide)

Don’t miss to join the wide-ranging program including exhibitions, concerts, performances, conferences and summer courses throughout the year! Experience the special place Fatima by booking your trip with us now!