- Apparition shrine
- Rosary and reparation
Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Fatima gathers pilgrims around the Rosary, reparation, peace, and the memory of three shepherd children who reported Marian apparitions in 1917.
- Location
- Fatima, Portugal
- Shrine type
- Apparition shrine
- Rosary and reparation
- Recognition
- Recognized Marian devotion
- Feast May 13
- Marian title
- Our Lady of Fatima
- Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima
- Visionary
- Francisco and Jacinta Marto
- with Sister Lúcia dos Santos
- Time needed
- 2 hours to 2 days
- Evening procession adds about an hour
The Rosary, prayed in the open.
Fatima gathers around a message given to three shepherd children: pray the Rosary, offer reparation, and pray for peace. Pilgrims come to the Chapel of the Apparitions on the great open esplanade, pray the Rosary together, go to confession, and walk in the candlelight procession at night. It is a shrine of peace and of penance, often visited as a family.
What happened here.
Three children, an open field.
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1917
Six apparitions
From May to October, three shepherd children, Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta, report six appearances of a lady at the Cova da Iria.
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The message
Rosary, reparation, peace
The children say they are asked to pray the Rosary daily, to offer reparation, and to pray for peace and for the conversion of sinners.
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October 13
A crowd at the Cova
A large crowd gathers on the day the children had named. Many present report an unusual solar phenomenon, long received in the shrine tradition and handled with care.
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1930
Declared worthy of belief
After a canonical inquiry, the Bishop of Leiria declares the apparitions worthy of belief and permits the devotion.
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Since
A sanctuary of peace
The Cova becomes one of the great Marian sanctuaries, its esplanade built for crowds, its message bound to prayer for peace.
A shrine day at Fatima.
A common pattern of prayer. Most pilgrims keep some of it, few keep all of it.
- 01 Mass at the Chapel The day turns on the altar at the Capelinha.
- 02 The Rosary Prayed together across the open esplanade.
- 03 Confession In many languages, near the basilicas.
- 04 The penitential path Walked toward the Chapel, per current practice.
- 05 Candlelight procession The Marian procession after dark, candles lifted.
- 06 The farewell procession The image carried out, handkerchiefs raised.
- 07 Silence Time kept before the Chapel and the tombs.
- 08 Walking the esplanade Between Chapel, basilicas, and the tombs.
Six things, not fifty.
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01
The Chapel of the Apparitions
The Capelinha, the small chapel on the apparition site at the heart of the esplanade. The shrine's still point.
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02
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
The older basilica at the head of the esplanade, where the shepherd children are buried.
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03
Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity
The vast modern basilica facing it across the square, built for the crowds.
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04
The evening candlelight procession
The torchlight Marian procession across the esplanade, the Rosary prayed in many languages.
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05
Tombs of the shepherd children
Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and Sister Lúcia, in the Rosary Basilica.
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06
Aljustrel and Valinhos
The children's homes and the nearby apparition sites, a short walk or drive out.
How long to stay, and what to pray.
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2 hours The Chapel and the RosaryTime-pressed visitorsThis plan saves
- The Chapel of the Apparitions
- The Rosary on the esplanade
- The Rosary Basilica
3 stops -
Half day Chapel, tombs, basilicasFirst-time pilgrimsThis plan saves
- The Chapel
- The tombs of the children
- Both basilicas
- The Rosary
4 stops -
Full day The sanctuary by day and nightA full pilgrim dayThis plan saves
- The Chapel, tombs, and basilicas
- Confession
- The evening candlelight procession
3 stops -
2 days Sanctuary, Aljustrel and ValinhosUnhurried pilgrimsThis plan saves
- The full sanctuary day
- Aljustrel, the children's homes
- Valinhos and Loca do Cabeço
3 stops
When to come
Pilgrimage dates
Dates that meaningfully change the experience of this place.
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The 12th and 13th of each month, May to October In 20 days
The Fátima anniversary pilgrimages
Why go
These are the days the sanctuary was built to keep. The candlelight procession on the evening of the twelfth and the international Mass on the thirteenth fill the prayer enclosure, and the farewell of the statue closes them. The apparitions of Fátima are recognized by the Church as worthy of belief.
What changes
- Considerably larger crowds
- Procession
- Special liturgy
- Altered access
- Transport and road changes
- Booking needed well ahead
Spiritually the fullest day here, and not the one to choose if you want a quiet visit.
This year
International Anniversary Pilgrimage, October 12 and 13, 2026
The October anniversary pilgrimage, marking the sixth and final apparition. It is presided by Cardinal Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, Archbishop of Manaus, who takes part in the celebration of the word on the night of the twelfth and in the international Mass on the morning of the thirteenth.
Santuário de Fátima, events calendar (opens in a new tab)
The lives this shrine remembers.
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Shepherd child
St. Francisco Marto
1908–1919The elder of the two Marto children. He died young and was canonized in 2017.
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Shepherd child
St. Jacinta Marto
1910–1920The youngest visionary, devoted to reparation and prayer for sinners. Canonized in 2017.
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The eldest visionary
Sister Lúcia dos Santos
1907–2005The cousin who lived to old age as a Carmelite and recorded the message. Her cause for canonization is open.
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The devotion
Our Lady of Fatima
Marian titleThe Marian title received here, Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima.
How Fatima gathers around the Cova da Iria
Fatima is built around an open field where the children tended sheep. The Chapel marks the apparition site, two basilicas face each other across the great esplanade, and the children's homes lie just outside the sanctuary.
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Apparition site The Chapel of the Apparitions The Capelinha, the still point of the open esplanade.
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Across the square The two basilicas Our Lady of the Rosary and the Most Holy Trinity.
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Procession space The great esplanade The vast open square built for crowds and night processions.
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The tombs The shepherd children Francisco, Jacinta, and Sister Lúcia in the Rosary Basilica.
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The children's homes Aljustrel The hamlet where the three visionaries lived.
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Nearby sites Valinhos and Loca do Cabeço The other reported apparition sites, a short way out.
Official shrine · fatima.pt
How we treat the devotion.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima is an apparition shrine whose apparitions the Church has recognized as worthy of belief. This approved private revelation is offered freely to the faithful and adds nothing to the deposit of faith.
Where a pilgrimage goes next.
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Aljustrel
The homes of the three shepherd children
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Valinhos
The Marian apparition of August 19, 1917
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Loca do Cabeço
The 1916 angel apparition site
Also in the area, guides to come: Parish church of Fatima (In town) · Lisbon and Santarém (Region).
Photo credits
- Hero. Berthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Detail. Berthold Werner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The Chapel of the Apparitions. Manuelvbotelho / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. Einaz80 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity. Reis Quarteu / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- The evening candlelight procession. Fatima 0751 (19182694573). János Korom Dr. / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source. CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Tombs of the shepherd children. Tumulo do Santo Francisco Marto - Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Rosario - Fatima - Portugal (8441638677). Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source. CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped from the original.
- Aljustrel and Valinhos. Calvario Hungaro - Fatima - Portugal (20324233439). Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source. CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped from the original.