Sacred City · Portugal · Pilgrimage-ready
The Portuguese pilgrimage town of the 1917 apparitions, ordered around the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Rosary, and the shepherd children.
Fátima is a small town in central Portugal on the limestone plateau north of Ourém. It is built around the Cova da Iria, where between May and October 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children — Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The sanctuary that grew up at the site is centred on the Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, and the Rosary praying place. The hamlets of Aljustrel and Valinhos, two short walks from the sanctuary, preserve the homes of the children and the secondary apparition sites.
Tomasz Przechlewski / Wikimedia Commons
Why This City Matters
The apparitions at Fátima are recognized by the Church as worthy of belief, with public devotion declared permitted by the Bishop of Leiria in 1930. As private revelation, the message does not add to the deposit of faith; it calls pilgrims to the Rosary, to penance and reparation, to the conversion of sinners, and to prayer for peace. The sanctuary is ordered around that call. The Chapel of the Apparitions stands at the spot where Our Lady asked that a chapel be built. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary holds the tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto and of Sister Lúcia. The Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, completed in 2007, accommodates the largest pilgrim Masses. A short walk away, Aljustrel preserves the homes of the children, and Valinhos and Loca do Cabeço mark the secondary apparition sites of 1916 and 1917.
Orientation
A practical guide based on how much time you have.
Enter the sanctuary across the great esplanade, walk to the Chapel of the Apparitions at the Cova da Iria, pray the Rosary there, and visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at the eastern end of the square, where the tombs of the shepherd children rest. If time allows, make a confession.
Begin at the Chapel of the Apparitions in the morning and pray the Rosary there. Attend Mass in one of the basilicas, go to confession, and pray before the tombs of Francisco, Jacinta, and Sister Lúcia. In the afternoon, walk the short distance to Aljustrel to see the homes of the children. Return to the sanctuary in the evening for the Rosary and candlelight procession.
Day 1: the sanctuary — the Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, Mass, confession, the tombs of the shepherd children, and the evening Rosary and procession. Day 2: the wider Fátima landscape — Aljustrel, the Way of the Cross to Valinhos, and Loca do Cabeço, finishing at the parish church of Fátima.
The small open-walled chapel built at the spot of the 1917 apparitions and the natural first stop in Fátima. The image of Our Lady of Fátima stands in the niche above the column marking the place.
The earlier basilica at the head of the esplanade, holding the tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto and of Sister Lúcia dos Santos.
The hamlet where the shepherd children lived. The homes of the Marto family and of Lúcia dos Santos are preserved as the children left them.
The large modern basilica at the western end of the sanctuary, completed in 2007 for the largest international Masses.
Start Here
The first layer of Catholic Fátima: churches, relic chapels, patron saints, martyr memory, and places of prayer.
The enclosed pilgrimage site at the Cova da Iria
The walled domain of the sanctuary contains the Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, the chaplaincy for confession, the praying place of the Rosary, and the great esplanade that gathers pilgrims for Mass and procession. The sanctuary is open daily and ordered around the Rosary, Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and acts of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
Relics Chapel of the Apparitions, Image of Our Lady of Fátima
The site of the 1917 apparitions
The small chapel built at the place in the Cova da Iria where the Virgin Mary appeared to Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta between May and October 1917. The image of Our Lady of Fátima stands in the niche above the column that marks the spot. Pilgrims pray the Rosary here through the day.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
Relics Chapel of the Apparitions, Image of Our Lady of Fátima
Earlier basilica with the tombs of the shepherd children
The first basilica of the sanctuary, begun in 1928 and consecrated in 1953. The tombs of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto lie in the side aisles of the nave, and Sister Lúcia dos Santos was reinterred here in 2017.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
Modern basilica for international pilgrim Masses
A circular modern basilica completed in 2007, designed to hold the largest gatherings of international pilgrims at Fátima. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved here for adoration through the day.
The hamlet where Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta lived
The small hamlet about two kilometres south of the sanctuary where the three shepherd children were born and raised. The home of the Marto family — where Francisco and Jacinta lived and died — and the neighbouring home of Lúcia dos Santos are preserved as they were.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
The August 1917 apparition site
A small clearing among olive trees on the slope above Aljustrel. After the children were detained on 13 August 1917 and prevented from going to the Cova da Iria, the apparition of that month took place here on 19 August. A monument marks the spot.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
The angel apparition site
A rocky outcrop on the slope of the Cabeço, above Aljustrel, where in 1916 — the year before the apparitions of Our Lady — the children received three visits from the Angel of Peace, who taught them prayers of reparation and gave them holy communion. A small monument marks the place.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
Stations of the Cross from the sanctuary to Valinhos
A Way of the Cross built by Hungarian Catholics in the 1960s along the path that the shepherd children walked between Aljustrel and the Cova da Iria. The fourteen stations climb the hillside and end at a small Calvary chapel near Valinhos.
The parish where the children were baptized
The parish church of Saint Anthony in the centre of Fátima town, where Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta were baptized and where they were taken for catechism. The baptismal font remains and is shown to pilgrims.
Saints Saint Francisco Marto, Saint Jacinta Marto
Fátima by Theme
Explore Fátima through its distinct Catholic threads. Each leads to different churches, saints, relics, and memories.
Saints Connected to Fátima
A concise guide to saints and blesseds whose lives, relics, missions, or communities help explain Catholic Fátima.
Born in 1908 in Aljustrel and one of the three shepherd children who received the apparitions of 1916 and 1917. He died of influenza in 1919 at the age of ten. Canonized in 2017, his tomb lies in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at Fátima.
Connected place: Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Aljustrel — Homes of the Shepherd Children, Valinhos, Loca do Cabeço, Parish Church of Fátima
Born in 1910 in Aljustrel and the youngest of the three shepherd children. She died of influenza in Lisbon in 1920 at the age of nine. Canonized in 2017, her tomb lies in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at Fátima.
Connected place: Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Aljustrel — Homes of the Shepherd Children, Valinhos, Loca do Cabeço, Parish Church of Fátima
Born in 1907 in Aljustrel and the eldest of the three children of Fátima. She lived as a Carmelite nun at Coimbra, where she died in 2005. Her cause for canonization is open and she has been declared Venerable; she is not yet canonized. Her body was transferred to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at Fátima in 2017.
Connected place: Chapel of the Apparitions, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Aljustrel — Homes of the Shepherd Children, Valinhos, Loca do Cabeço, Parish Church of Fátima
Relics & tombs
Shown with source & confidence
Fátima is not a city of body relics in the older Roman sense. Its veneration is gathered around the place of the apparitions at the Cova da Iria, the image set in the chapel niche, the tombs of the shepherd children in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the family homes and apparition sites in the surrounding countryside.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
The small open-walled chapel built at the spot in the Cova da Iria where the apparitions of 1917 took place. The apparitions are recognized by the Church as worthy of belief. Pilgrims pray the Rosary here continuously through the day.
Chapel of the Apparitions
The crowned statue set in the niche of the Chapel of the Apparitions above the column that marks the apparition site. Carved in 1920 and crowned by Pope Pius XII in 1946, it is a devotional image and the focus of veneration at the chapel.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
The body of Saint Francisco Marto rests in a tomb in the side aisle of the basilica. Canonized in 2017, he is one of the youngest non-martyr saints canonized by the Church.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
The body of Saint Jacinta Marto rests in a tomb in the opposite aisle of the basilica from her brother Francisco. Canonized in 2017.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
The body of Sister Lúcia dos Santos was transferred from Coimbra to the basilica in 2017. Her cause for canonization is open; she has been declared Venerable but is not yet canonized.
Hillside above Aljustrel
The clearing among olive trees where the apparition of August 1917 took place after the children were detained and could not go to the Cova da Iria on 13 August. A small monument marks the spot.
Cabeço hillside, above Aljustrel
The rocky outcrop where the children received the three visits of the Angel of Peace in 1916, the year before the apparitions of Our Lady. The angel taught them prayers of reparation and gave them holy communion. A small monument marks the place.
Aljustrel, south of Fátima
The home of the Marto family — where Francisco and Jacinta lived and where Jacinta lay sick before being taken to Lisbon — and the neighbouring home of Lúcia dos Santos. Both are preserved as they were in 1917.
Suggested Visits
Not full itineraries yet, but practical patterns for prayer, architecture, relics, and saint memory.
The Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, and a Rosary at the Cova da Iria.
Why it works All three sites lie within the sanctuary and can be walked end to end across the esplanade without leaving the enclosure.
The Chapel of the Apparitions is the heart of any visit; pray the Rosary there before moving on.
The sanctuary in the morning, Aljustrel in the afternoon, the procession in the evening.
Why it works Pairs the sanctuary's full liturgical rhythm with the human scale of Aljustrel and ends with the evening procession that gives the day a recognisable shape.
The Rosary and candlelight procession at the Chapel of the Apparitions takes place in the evening through the main pilgrimage season. Check the sanctuary schedule before travel for current times.
The sanctuary one day, the wider Fátima landscape the next.
Why it works Two days separates the liturgical rhythm of the sanctuary from the slower walk through the country sites where the children lived and where the secondary apparitions took place.
Aljustrel, Valinhos, and Loca do Cabeço sit within a short walk of one another. Carry water and modest shoes for the hillside paths.
Pray the stations from the sanctuary to Valinhos, returning through Aljustrel.
Why it works Joins the praying place of the apparitions to the path the children themselves walked, and ends at the tombs of Francisco, Jacinta, and Lúcia in the basilica.
The Way of the Cross climbs the hillside between the sanctuary and Valinhos. Allow about an hour for the stations at an unhurried pace.
Pair Fátima with Lisbon and, if time allows, with Coimbra where Sister Lúcia lived as a Carmelite.
Why it works Joins the place of the apparitions to the wider Portuguese geography of the Fátima story — Lisbon, where Jacinta died, and Coimbra, where Sister Lúcia lived out her religious life.
Fátima sits about 90 minutes by road from Lisbon and about 90 minutes from Coimbra. There is no direct rail link to Fátima itself; long-distance buses and connecting trains via Caxarias are the usual routes.
Before You Go
The details that shape the pilgrimage experience before you arrive.
Half a day for the sanctuary; one full day to include Aljustrel and the evening procession; two days to walk the Hungarian Calvary, Valinhos, and Loca do Cabeço at an unhurried pace.
The sanctuary esplanade is flat and walkable from end to end. Aljustrel lies about two kilometres south and can be reached on foot, by taxi, or by seasonal pilgrim bus. The Way of the Cross, Valinhos, and Loca do Cabeço involve hillside paths and are best walked in cool weather.
Fátima has no direct rail station of its own; the nearest stop is Caxarias, about 30 minutes by taxi or connecting bus. Direct long-distance buses run from Lisbon and Coimbra, and the sanctuary is about 90 minutes by car from each. The town and sanctuary are walkable.
Modest dress is expected in the basilicas and at the Chapel of the Apparitions. Carry a scarf or light layer; the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity is cool year-round.
Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, and the Rosary at the Chapel of the Apparitions are offered daily. The candlelight procession runs in the evening through the main pilgrimage season and on the 12th of each month. The largest gatherings fall on 13 May and 13 October, the dates of the first and last 1917 apparitions.
Fátima is a working pilgrimage town and is generally calm. Bag checks at the sanctuary are normal during major Masses; crowds on 13 May and 13 October are very large and require advance planning for transit and lodging.
The Rosary at the Chapel of the Apparitions runs continuously through the day in multiple languages. Consult the current sanctuary schedule on arrival for Mass, confession, and procession times.
Sacred Map
9 sacred places mapped. Read-only: open any place page to plan a visit.
Plan Your Pilgrimage
Use My Journey to save places for your pilgrimage to Fátima.
