| FÁTIMA |
One of the great pilgrimage shrines of the world, Fátima
was the site of the famous apparitions of the Virgin Mary in
1917.
Standing in an oak tree bathed in a sea of light, the Virgin
appeared and spoke to three peasant children, one of whom is
still alive, in the little valley of Cova da Iria. The apparitions
took place on five separate occasions, and in memory of them
large-scale pilgrimages to Fátima are held on the 13th
of every month from May to October.
What to see. Flanked by statues of saints, the Neo-Baroque
limestone basilica has a 65-metre tower and an esplanade twice
the size of St Peter's Square in Rome. In the esplanade, the
Chapel of the Apparitions marks the site of the first apparition;
inside, the crown of the Virgin holds the bullet extracted from
Pope John Paul II after the assassination attempt in 1981.
Nearby. Lying 10 km north-east of Fátima, the
medieval walled town of Ourém is dominated by a 15th
century castle built by Afonso, grandson of Nuno Álvares
Pereira, who commanded the brave Portuguese forces against the
Castilians during the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. |
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| © 2007 Maisturismo |
