Portugal

224
ESTREMADURA
9
FATIMA
day arrive from Lisbon. The 1 1 ⁄2-hour trip costs 8€ one-way. For information and schedules,
call & 24/953-16-11.
BY CAR From Batalha (see above), continue east along Route 356 for 15km (9 1 ⁄4
miles).
Visitor Information
The tourist office is on Avenida Dom José Alves Correia da Silva (& 24/953-11-39;
www.rt-leiriafatima.pt) and is open daily from 10am to 1pm and 3 to 7pm. In August,
it’s open daily 10am to 9pm.
EXPLORING THE TOWN
A PILGRIMAGE TO FÁTIMA On May 13 and October 13, pilgrims overrun the
town, causing the roads leading to Fátima to be choked with pilgrims in donkey carts,
on bicycles, or in cars, beginning on the 12th of each month. Many also approach on
foot; some even “walk” on their knees in penance. Once in Fátima, they camp out until
day breaks. In the central square, which is larger than St. Peter’s in Rome, a statue of the
Madonna passes through the crowd between about 10am and 12:30pm. When it does,
some 75,000 handkerchiefs flutter in the breeze.
Then as many as are able crowd in to visit a small slanted-roof shed known as the
Chapel of the Apparitions. Inside stands a single white column marking the spot where
a small holm oak once grew. An image of the Virgin Mary reputedly appeared over this
oak on May 13, 1917, when she is said to have spoken to three shepherd children. That
oak long ago disappeared, torn to pieces by souvenir collectors. The original chapel constructed
here was dynamited on the night of March 6, 1922, by skeptics who suspected
the church of staging the so-called miracle.
While World War I dragged on, three devout children—Lúcia de Jesús and her cousins,
Jacinta and Francisco Marto—claimed that they saw the first appearance of “a lady”
on the tableland of Cova da Iria. Her coming had been foreshadowed in 1916 by what
they would later cite as “an angel of peace,” who is said to have appeared before them.
Attempts were made to suppress their story, but it spread quickly. During the July
appearance, the lady was reported to have revealed three secrets to them, one of which
prefigured the coming of World War II; another was connected with Russia’s “rejection
of God.” The final secret, a “sealed message” recorded by Lúcia, was opened by church
officials in 1960, but the contents of that message were only recently published. According
to the Vatican, it predicted that Pope John Paul II would be shot. Acting on orders
from the Portuguese government, the mayor of a nearby town threw the children into
jail and threatened them with torture, even death in burning oil. Still, they would not be
intimidated and stuck to their story. The lady reportedly made six appearances between
May and the final one on October 13, 1917, when the children were joined by an estimated
70,000 people who witnessed the famous Miracle of the Sun. The day had begun
with pouring rain and driving winds. Observers from all over the world testified that at
noon “the sky opened up” and the sun seemed to spin out of its axis and hurtle toward
the earth. Many at the site feared the Last Judgment was upon them. Others later
reported that they thought the scorching sun was crashing into the earth and would
consume it in flames. Many agreed that a major miracle of modern times had occurred.
Only the children reported seeing Our Lady, however.