FÁTIMA, Sanctuary of. - In the diocese of Leiria, in the Serra d'Aire range, on a karst plateau, on terrain of the Tertiary era, stands the village of F., unknown to the whole world until 1917. The name is of evident Arab origin, owing to the Muslim invasion that devastated especially the south of Portugal until 1140. There is only a legend about the origin of the name.
In the Conca de Iria (Hollow of St. Irene), on 13 May 1917 Lucia dos Santos (10 years old), Francisco Marto (9 years old) and Jacinta Marto (7 years old) were grazing the flock as on other days on a property belonging to Lucia's father. At noon a strong flash: a most beautiful Lady appeared above a holm oak. She recommended the secret, and enjoined prayers to hasten the end of the war. On the following 13th, and so on until Oct., the shepherd children returned to see and speak with the apparition. In Aug. the shepherd children were
FATIMA, SANCTUARY OF - Sanctuary of Our Lady of F. and procession with the statue of the Madonna.
placed in prison and the apparition occurred at the place called Valinhos, near the house. In Oct. the vision manifested itself for what it was: the Madonna of the Rosary, who again recommended prayer and penance for the cessation of the war, prophesying also another scourge if the world did not convert. With the Madonna there also appeared the Child Jesus and St. Joseph. These apparitions were confirmed by meteorological phenomena, attested by a great part of the 60,000 pilgrims present. There were no more apparitions in the Conca de Iria; but after Msgr. Giuseppe Alves Correia de Silva, bishop of Leiria, in whose territory F. is found with the district of the Conca, had authorized, in 1930, the cult of Our Lady of F., the crowds of pilgrims increased more each year, not only from the Iberian peninsula, but from all parts of Europe, especially Belgium and Holland, and from the United States of America. A small chapel was built on the very site of the apparitions: the chapel was provided with a statue, which became the traditional model of the Madonna of F., solemnly crowned on 13 May 1946 by the pope's legate, Cardinal Aloisi Masella, in the presence of more than 600,000 people. A grand sanctuary is rising, which with the numerous religious houses (among them the modern seminary of the Missionaries of the Consolata of Turin) will give the Conca de Iria the appearance of a civitas sancta as at Lourdes.
Here too, in fact, miracles of a physical and of a supernatural order are multiplied; the characteristic of the message of F. is indeed the call to penance, and one sees nothing but crowds or individual devotees animated by this singular spirit. From the sanctuary, the Madonna began to pilgrimage throughout the whole world as "Missionary of God," and all the peoples of East and West do themselves honor to receive her and to have her as protectress.
Recently the process of beatification of the two siblings Francisco and Jacinta was introduced in the diocese of Leiria, while the visionary Lucia is to be found in the Carmel of Coimbra, and from there still directs many souls to devotion to the Madonna of the Rosary. - See pl. LXXII.
Bibliography2 works
Federico José Peirone