Discover Fátima: Private Pilgrimage Tour from Lisbon

Aljustrel, the village of the Little Shepherds. The houses where the Little Shepherds of Fátima were born retain their primitive structure. The two houses have a single floor, with whitewashed limestone walls. The interiors, consisting of kitchen, living room, bedrooms and storage, feature furniture, some of the period, that recreates the childhood scenarios of the Little Shepherds.

Along the Caminhos dos Pastorinhos (the Via Sacra) we arrive at the village of Aljustrel where the house of the seer Lúcia is located. Lucy was the only witness to the apparitions of Fatima, who lived the longest earthly life, died in Coimbra on February 13, 2005.

Between the 8th and 9th station of the Way of the Cross in the Path of the little Shepherds, there is the place where the fourth apparition of Our Lady, on August 19, 1917, ocurred. Nowadays, the Valinhos are visited by thousands of Portuguese and foreign pilgrims who take the route of the Via-Sacra to the Hungarian Calvary, visit the Chapel of St. Stephen of Hungary and then visit the House of Lucy and the House of Francis and Jacinta Marto in the village of Aljustrel. In Valinhos, the sculptures of the Angel of Portugal and the various stations of the Via-Sacra are all written by Maria Amélia Carvalheira da Silva.

The small village of Aljustrel was the birthplace of the three little shepherds and the house of the brothers Francisco and Jacinta can be visited, as well as Lúcia’s house, converted in a museum, depicting local lifestyle in the beginning of the 20th century. Departing from Aljustrel you can walk along the Way of the Cross in Valinhos.

Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (commonly called the Basilica of the Rosary) is a basilica that integrates the Sanctuary of Fatima, located in the place of the Cova da Iria, in Fatima.

Capela das Aparições - Fátima Monuments The Chapel, in the heart of the current Fátima Sanctuary, was built by local people in 1919 in response to the request made by Our Lady during one of the apparitions. The first mass to be held there was in 1921. Although subject to certain changes, due to preservation and maintenance requirements over recent years, the modestly sized chapel retains its rough design similar to a simple hermitage. The image of Our Lady marks the spot of the holm-oak tree, the site of the apparitions. The actual tree itself disappeared piecemeal as more fervent believers made off with it twig by twig. It was here that the shepherds came to say the rosary accompanied by other believers.

Basílica da Santíssima Trindade Monuments You can also visit the Holy Trinity Church in the Fatima Sanctuary grounds, opposite the Basilica. The church is a modern white building round the color of the stone that covers it, a local stone known as the “white sea”. With a total of 8,633 seats and an area of 40,000 m², the Holy Trinity Church is the fourth largest Catholic temple in the world in capacity.