The Fatima Sightings of 1917

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At noon on May 13th 1917, 3 young children claimed to see an apparition of The Virgin Mary while watching over sheep for the family business. The apparition would appear every month for a total of 6 times. For the final event, an estimated 100,000 people who had heard about the visions turned up and witnessed what was labelled as a modern day miracle - the sun dancing in the sky.

The eldest of the children, Lucia would claim that the apparition would give them a series of prophecies, and 3 secrets which could not be revealed. Several years later, 2 of those secrets were revealed by Lucia in 1941 - the first was a vision of hell, showing demons and embers. The second secret was a statement that World War I would end, along with a prediction of another war during the reign of Pope Pius XI (World War II).

Lucia would never reveal the final secret, and with the other 2 children dying young due to influenza, nobody else knew either. Lucia would write it down on a single sheet of paper, seal it in an envelope and give it to The Vatican. In 2000, Cardinal Angelo Sodano would apparently reveal the secret to be a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, which coincidentally would occur exactly 64 years to the day of the first apparition in Fatima.

But conspiracy theorists have noted that the Cardinal was not reading from the same piece of paper that Lucia wrote the secret down on. Many people believe that the 3rd secret was a prediction of the Apocalypse. Lucia would die in 2005, leaving many to speculate what the final secret really was.

I traveled to Fatima in Portugal to see the exact spot where these visions were said to occur. I have also researched the case in depth.


Visit Fatima

Despite its remote location, Fatima is actually not too difficult to get to. I stayed in Lisbon during my travels, and bought a return bus ticket from Oriente bus station for around €20 (on the Metro, take the red line out towards the Airport, its a couple of stops before the Airport) The bus journey itself was about 1 hour 15 mins each way despite being advertised as 1 hour 30 mins, and was on a fully air-conditioned coach. Traveling from Porto will probably take a bit longer.

You can also book a tour from tourist information spots around Portugal, although these can cost a minimum of €60 depending on which day you go, and can go up to €300, and can last a full day. This also includes a lunch and visits to places of interest along the route, such as the house where the 3 children lived, which is a couple of miles south of Fatima, and also the village of Valinhos where the 4th apparition occurred. The spot is marked by statues. The children had been arrested the night before the day of the 4th apparition by local authorities who were fed up with the gossip that was spreading around Portugal. The children were weren't released until later the next day and therefore missed the noon meeting point.

If you go on a weekend, especially a Sunday, expect it to be very busy for obvious reasons. I went on a Tuesday afternoon in April 2019, and the place was actually quite quiet. There is a huge visitors car park and coach drop off, so that gives you an idea of how many tourists they get.

A huge religious site awaits, built on the site of the visions on the Cova da Iria. The Basilica of Our Lady of The Rosary is the name of the minor Basilica built close to the site of the visions. The apparition is said to have requested this church to be built here. Inside it contains the tombs of the 3 children, who have since been made saints.

The Chapel of the Apparitions is a small structure with glass on 2 sides and open on the front. It was built in 1919 to mark the exact spot where the apparitions took place (well 5 of them, one apparition actually took place in another village...see the video!). You will see this is where most people come to pray to a statue of The Virgin Mary which marks the spot that the children claimed she was.

Next to this chapel is a tree which is closed off so people can't touch it. This is said to be the tree the children would wait under for the apparition to appear.

Near the entrance to the Fátima Sanctuary, south of the rectory, is a segment of the Berlin Wall intended to emphasize the belief that the Rosary prayers influenced the fall of the Berlin Wall related to the Consecration of Russia based on the Our Lady of Fátima messages.

While in Fatima, you will notice that every shop in the city cashes in on the tourism. Everywhere sells rosaries, statues, Virgin Mary fridge magnets, postcards and keyrings. From what was once a small farming community in 1917, it is now a small city.