25/04/2022
The place where the Sanctuary of Fátima is located , Cova da Iria, was until 1917 an unknown place in the municipality of Ourém, in the parish of Fátima. That year, a religious event changed its history and importance forever, when three shepherd children, Jacinta, her brother Francisco and her cousin Lúcia, witnessed successive apparitions of Nossa Senhora do Rosário. Initially regarded with reluctance by the Church but cherished by the people, the phenomenon was only recognized in 1930 by the Bishop of Leiria. From then on, the development of the locality was notorious, leading to Fátima being elevated to a village in 1977 and a city in 1997.
The Sanctuary's worldwide fame was accentuated during the papacy of John Paul II, an assumed devotee of Our Lady of Fátima who in 1982 went there in gratitude for having survived an attack a year earlier. In 2000, on his third visit to the site, he announced the beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, to whom the Vatican attributed the miracle of a cure.
May 13 was the date of the first apparition, followed by others on the same day of the following months until October, and also marks the main celebrations of Fatima. One of the most important moments is the Procession of the Candles, on the night of May 12, in which the thousands of candles of the faithful that fill the grandiose square of the Sanctuary give this place a magical atmosphere, of communion and religious devotion. As impressive as the Farewell Procession on the 13th.
But every month, especially on the 12th and 13th, thousands of pilgrims flock to Fatima guided by their faith. Departing from different parts of the country, many of them make this route on foot, following rural roads and paths. To facilitate travel, a set of four Paths to Fátima was identified, which were signposted on the ground – Caminho do Tejo, Caminho do Norte, Caminho da Nazaré and Caminho do Mar – and can be easily followed, even by those who know little about the region.
Even those who are not believers are not indifferent when they are in the Sanctuary, because of its grandeur, the spirituality that is felt and the symbolism.