Place of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima to the three little shepherds in 1917, Cova da Iria, known by many as altar of the world, became an important place of religious worship that receives annually five to six million pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. | The Nossa Senhora do Rosário Basilica, which began to be constructed in 1928 and was acclaimed in 1954 by Pio XII, was built mainly with white limestone extracted from the Estremadura's Limestone Massif and has on exhibition many pieces of the Vatican’s workshop. The interior boasts fifteen altars, which represent the Rosary mysteries, and the colonnade comprises 200 columns and half columns, as well as 14 altars.
At the Chapel of the Sightings, the pedestal of the image of Our Lady marks the place where it was the holm oak over which she appeared to the little shepherds. Although it underwent various repair works over the years, it keeps the characteristics of a popular chapel. The most recent Holy Trinity Basilica, inaugurated in 2007, was designed by the orthodox Greek architect Alexandros Tombazis. It is characterised by its round format, having 125 metres diameter, and for having capacity for 8500 people seated around the altar. |
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Address:Santuário de Nossa Senhora de Fátima, 2495 Fátima GPS coordinates: 39º 37´ 59,94" N 8º 40´ 22,17" W |
