Sanctuary of Fátima

Why go

The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima is the sanctuary at Cova da Iria in Fátima, in Ourém municipality. Its official site says it grew from the small chapel built in 1919 on the place of the 1917 apparitions to Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, now the Chapel of the Apparitions, and that it is a place of pilgrimage and, by the will of the Apostolic See, a National Shrine. The site describes the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, dedicated in 1953, and the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, which face each other across the Prayer Area. It asks pilgrim groups to register in writing with its Pilgrims Service, and says that during the International Anniversary Pilgrimages on the 12th and 13th of each month from May to October places and times for private celebrations are hard to find.