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Fátima
Fátima is a town in Portugal famous for the religious visions that reportedly took place there in 1917. The town itself has a population of 7,756 and is located in the municipality of Ourém, in the Centro Region and sub region of Médio Tejo. It is in the district of Santarém and is included in the urban agglomeration of Leiria, in central Portugal, 187 km (116 mi) south of Porto and 123 km (76 mi) north of Lisbon.
The name of the town (formerly a small village) comes from the Arabic name Fatima. According to popular belief, it was originally named after a Moorish princess who converted to Catholicism after marrying a local nobleman. This story is preserved in the "Cronica de Cister" of Bernardo de Brito, a 16 Century monk.
The Marian shrine in Fátima attracts a large number of Catholics, and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the significant dates of Fatima apparitions.
On the far side of the esplanade rises the gigantic basilica, in neo-classical style, with a central tower 65 metres (213 ft) high, the construction of which was begun on 13 May 1928. It is flanked by colonnades linking it with the extensive conventual and hospital buildings. In the basilica are the tombs of the three seers, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, who died in 1919 and 1920 respectively in the Spanish flu pandemic, and were beatified in 2000, and Lúcia dos Santos who died in 2005. The Igreja da Santíssima Trindade, one of the largest churches in the world, was built on the other side of the esplanade during the 2000s.
Casa de Grande - bed and breakfast in São Martinho do Porto on the Silver Coast in Portugal
Costa de Prata Estremadura between Lisbon and Porto
We offer long and short stays - holiday breaks and long weekends
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