Prayer area open day and night Candlelight procession · 21:30, May to Oct Great pilgrimages · 12 to 13 May & Oct Neo-baroque basilica · 1928 to 1953 Free · open all year
The esplanade opens before you like a white sea, wider than a cathedral square has any right to be. Down its centre runs a strip of polished marble, and on it, pilgrims move on their knees toward a small glass-sided chapel, lips moving through the Rosary. Wax crackles in the candle pyres; the smell of burning offerings drifts across the crowd. Everything here, the two basilicas, the colonnade, the vast quiet, gathers around one modest spot: the place where a small holm oak once stood.
Here in 1917 three shepherd children, Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported six apparitions of Our Lady between 13 May and 13 October, five of them on this exact spot at the Cova da Iria.
On 13 October 1917, before a crowd estimated between 50,000 and 70,000, witnesses reported the sun spinning and plunging in the sky: the Miracle of the Sun, promised to the children in advance so that all might believe.
Francisco and Jacinta, canonized here by Pope Francis on 13 May 2017, are the youngest saints of the Church who were not martyrs. All three seers now rest in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The Angel, the Lady, and the sun that danced
It began quietly, in 1916, when three children keeping sheep in the stony pastures of Aljustrel saw an Angel at the hollow of Loca do Cabeço. He called himself the Angel of Peace, and later the Angel of Portugal, and he taught them prayers of adoration and reparation. Twice he came to the Loca, once to the well behind Lúcia's house, preparing them, tradition holds, for what was coming.
On 13 May 1917, at the Cova da Iria, a Lady brighter than the sun stood over a small holm oak and asked the children to return on the 13th of each month. They did, through growing crowds and hard disbelief. In August, kept from the Cova on the appointed day, they saw Her instead at Valinhos on the 19th. She asked for the Rosary, prayed daily for peace, for a world then deep in the Great War, and She promised a sign. On 13 October, in the rain, tens of thousands watched the clouds break and reported the sun whirling like a wheel of fire. That day the Lady named Herself: the Lady of the Rosary, and asked that a chapel be built here in Her honour.
The little chapel rose in 1919, built by local hands. Anticlerical dynamite wrecked it in 1922; it was rebuilt within the year, and in 1930 the Bishop of Leiria declared the apparitions worthy of belief. Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta in 1920, both taken by the great influenza epidemic, both canonized on this spot a century later. Lúcia became a Carmelite nun, carried the message of Fátima through a long life until 2005, and was declared Venerable in 2023. The Cova da Iria has never been quiet since.
What you'll actually see
1
The Chapel of the Apparitions
The heart of the Sanctuary: a small white chapel of 1919 under a modern canopy, open to the square on one side. The marble plinth bearing the statue of Our Lady of Fátima marks the exact spot of the holm oak over which the Lady appeared, the tree itself long since carried away, branch by branch, by the first pilgrims.
2
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
The neo-baroque basilica begun on 13 May 1928 and consecrated in 1953, its single limestone tower rising about 65 metres, embraced by curved colonnades. Inside, near the high altar, lie the tombs of St Francisco Marto, St Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lúcia, and fourteen side altars trace the mysteries of the Rosary.
3
The Basilica of the Holy Trinity
Across the esplanade stands its opposite: a vast circular church dedicated in 2007, designed by the Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis, with 8,633 seats and no interior columns to interrupt the sight of the altar. It was built so that the crowds of a rainy 13th of the month could still gather for Mass under one roof.
The Chapel of the Apparitions, and the first sculpture of Our Lady of Fátima · photos CC BY 3.0 DE High Contrast and public domain Bingar1234, Wikimedia Commons
THE NIGHT THE SQUARE BECOMES A SEA OF LIGHT
Anniversary pilgrimage · 12 to 13 October 2026
On the 12th and 13th of every month from May to October the Sanctuary keeps the anniversaries of the apparitions, and the October dates, the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun, draw the greatest crowds of the year. On the night of the 12th the Rosary is prayed at the Chapel of the Apparitions and the candlelight procession fills the esplanade, tens of thousands of flames moving together as the statue of Our Lady is carried through the square. On the morning of the 13th comes the international Mass, the blessing of the sick, and the farewell procession, when the whole square waves white handkerchiefs as the statue returns to the Chapel.
Book accommodation months ahead for 12 to 13 May and October, arrive early in the day, and expect the esplanade to be full by nightfall.
Plan your visit
By air
Lisbon Airport, about 120 km south; direct Rede Expressos buses run from the airport and from Lisbon Sete Rios to Fátima in about 1 h 30.
By rail
Fátima has no station of its own; the nearest is Caxarias, about 18 km northeast on the Lisbon to Porto line, with a connecting road service to the town.
By road
Fátima is 121 km north of Lisbon; the A1 motorway has an exit about 5 minutes from the Sanctuary.
Timings
The prayer area and the Chapel of the Apparitions stay open day and night; the basilicas close in the evening.
Entry
Free. The Sanctuary is open to all, every day of the year, with no ticket for any celebration.
Best time
Early morning for quiet prayer at the Chapel; the evenings of the 12th, May to October, for the candlelight procession at its fullest.
Daily rhythm
Mass at 11:00 in the Basilica of the Holy Trinity and 12:30 at the Chapel of the Apparitions; Rosary at 12:00 on weekdays, 10:00 on weekends, and 18:30 and 21:30 daily.
A smooth marble penitential path runs down the esplanade for pilgrims who keep a promessa, a promise to Our Lady, by walking its length on their knees.
Candles bought at the Sanctuary are offered into open candle pyres near the Chapel, and many pilgrims offer wax votives shaped as the limb or organ for which they pray.
The Rosary at 18:30 in the Chapel of the Apparitions is broadcast daily on the Sanctuary's official live stream, so families at home can pray with the pilgrims.
The esplanade is vast and open; carry water and sun protection in summer, and warm layers for the night vigils.
Questions pilgrims ask
Did the Church approve the apparitions of Fátima?
Yes. After a canonical inquiry, the Bishop of Leiria declared the apparitions worthy of belief in 1930, and the shrine has since been visited by Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. Fátima is one of the most fully recognised Marian shrines in the Catholic world.
Are the three little shepherds buried at the Sanctuary?
Yes, all three rest in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. St Francisco Marto died in 1919 and St Jacinta Marto in 1920; both were canonized by Pope Francis on 13 May 2017. Their cousin Lúcia dos Santos died in 2005 as a Carmelite nun and was declared Venerable by Pope Francis in 2023; her cause for beatification continues.
When can I join the candlelight procession?
The Rosary is prayed at the Chapel of the Apparitions at 21:30 each night, and from May to October it is followed by the candlelight procession across the esplanade. The greatest processions come on the nights of 12 May and 12 October, the vigils of the anniversary pilgrimages.
Do I need a ticket or booking to visit?
No. Entry to the Sanctuary, the Chapel of the Apparitions and both basilicas is free, and the prayer area never closes. Only accommodation in the town needs booking, well in advance for the May and October pilgrimages.
Can I attend Mass in English?
The Sanctuary celebrates Mass and the Rosary in several languages through the day, with the international celebrations on the 12th and 13th prayed in many tongues. Check the official schedule at fatima.pt for the current times of Masses in English and other languages.
Darshan from afar
From the temple's own channels. Nothing loads until you press play.
Dharamshalas and guest houses near this Sthan, shared by devotees. Adisthan takes no bookings and no money; contact each stay directly.
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