Parish Church of Fátima
The village church where the three shepherd children were baptized, about a kilometre from the sanctuary they are now known for.
- Location
- Fatima, Portugal
- 39.6180° N · -8.6524° E
- Type
- Active Catholic parish church
- Dedication
- Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres
The Parish the Children Belonged To
Pilgrims come here for scale. The sanctuary at the Cova da Iria was built for millions; this is the church the three children actually belonged to, a plain whitewashed parish church with a stone bell tower, standing in a square where a village square has always been. The font at which they were baptized is kept in the church and is shown to pilgrims. Coming here after the sanctuary puts the whole story back on the ground it happened on.
Fátima was a parish long before it was a pilgrimage. It was separated from the collegiate church of Ourém in 1568, and the church has been enlarged more than once since, most substantially in the years around 1915, when it was widened from a single nave to three, and again after 1917 as the parish grew with the pilgrimage. Lúcia dos Santos was baptized here in 1907, Francisco Marto in 1908, and Jacinta Marto in 1910. The parish is now known as the Paróquia de Fátima e dos Pastorinhos, the parish of Fátima and the shepherd children.
What to notice, without rushing.
-
01
The baptismal font
The parish keeps the font at which Lúcia, Francisco, and Jacinta were baptized, and it is shown to pilgrims.
-
02
The nave
Three aisles under stone arches and a wooden roof. The children were brought here for catechism in this room.
-
03
The square in front
Ordinary village ground, with the church at its head. It is the clearest measure at Fátima of how far the pilgrimage has come from where it started.
How this place gathers the saints.
- Saint Francisco Marto Baptized in this church in 1908
- Saint Jacinta Marto Baptized in this church in 1910
-
Venerable Lúcia dos Santos Baptized in this church in 1907
Within walking distance.
Plan around this place.
The church is known by several names: the Igreja Matriz or parish church of Fátima, and the church of Fátima and the shepherd children. Its dedication is to Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres. It is an active parish and should be visited as one.
August 4, 2026
Photo credits
- Hero. Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source. CC BY-SA 2.0.
- The Nave the Children Knew. Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source. CC BY-SA 2.0.