Fatima - Portugal
Fatima is in the hills about two hours drive north east of Lisbon in Portugal. In 1916 an angel appeared three times to three young children grazing their sheep.
This however was only a prelude, a preparation for six apparition from May to October of the following year from the Mother of God Herself to the same three children, Lucia de Jesu, who is still alive today, a Carmelite nun, Francesco Marto and his sister, Jacinta who both died at about the age of 10.
Her message was long but the main theme was a call to prayer and for the world to return to Her Divine Son.
Today thousands gather in the Cova da Iria on the 12th & 13th of each month from May to October to celebrate those apparitions.
On the colonnade in front of the Basilica, statues of four Portuguese Saints can be seen: St. John of God, St. John of Brito, St. Anthony and Bl. Nuno of Santa Maria.
From one side to the other, from left to right, are the following saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, Bl. Marcelino de Champagnat, St. John Baptist de la Salle, St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, St. Jonh Bosco with St. Dominic Savio, St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Simon Stock, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Paul of the Cross and St. Beatrice da Silva.
The white marble statue in the niche above the entrance to the Basilica, sculptored by Fr. Thomas McGlynn, OR, shows Our Lady in one of her apparitions when she urged devotion to her Immaculate Heart.
Esplanade
With its monumental flights of steps and colonnades, and Stations of the Cross in polychrome ceramic designs.
Chapel of Apparitions
The very heart of the Sanctuary. It was the first edifice constructed in the Cova da Iria, at the place of Our Lady's Apparitions. The exact spot is marked by a marble pillar on which the Statue of Our Lady is placed. Here converge the four million pilgrims who visit the Sanctuary each year.Basilica
Begun in 1928 and consecrated on 7 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, prepared by the Angel of Portugal, through their encounter with Christ in the Eucharist.
Scenes of the apparitions are represented in stained glass, as well as invocations from the Litany of Our Lady.
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, and, in the chancel, are the mortal remains of D. José Alves Correia da Silva, first Bishop of Leiria after its restoration in 1920.
The monumental organ, mounted in 1952, has about 12 thousand pipes.
Perpetual Adoration Chapel
Situated at the end of the colonnade, on the eastern side, this chapel for perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed, is a place of silent prayer and adoration.
Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1932)
Which stands in the centre of the square, over a spring found there, its waters being the instrument of many graces.
House of Our Lady of Dolours
Situated behind the Chapel of Apparitions, it is destined to receive the Sick during the great pilgrimages, and also for retreats and accommodation for pilgrims in general, up to the number of 300.