Chapel of the Apparitions

The Chapel of the Apparitions is the heart of Fátima Shrine. Built in 1919, two years after the request of Our Lady of Fátima: "I want you to build a chapel here in my honour".

The Chapel of the Apparitions is the heart of Fátima Shrine. Built in 1919, two years after the request of Our Lady of Fátima: "I want you to build a chapel here in my honour". The first mass took place on October 13th 1921.

The pedestal of the Image of Our Lady of Fátima marks the exact spot of the little holm oak (that vanished, because of the devotion of the first pilgrims that took it away, branch by branch), where Our Lady appeared to the little shepherds on May 13th, June, July, September and October 1917.

The history of the Chapel of the Apparitions is deeply connected to the devotion of a local character, Maria Carreira, who dedicated her life to the protection of the Chapel of the Apparitions. In 1922, when the chapel was dynamited, Maria Carreira had the image of Our Lady of Fátima at home. Every night she took the image home, in order to to assure its security. She was the first person to gather handouts for the future Shrine of Fátima. The Chapel of the Apparitions became her life project and therefore she deserves to be remembered in the fascinating history of Fátima.

In 1982 it was built a vast porch, which was officially opened during the visit of the Pope John Paul II on May 12th 1982. In 1988, a year devoted to Our Lady of Fátima, it was lined with pine wood from the north of Siberia, Russia. It was chosen because of its durability and lightness.

The original chapel has kept the characteristics of a popular hermitage, despite some light changes throughout the years.

The image of Our Lady of Fátima

The original statue was offered in 1920 by Gilberto Fernandes dos Santos, the first big trader of the region, according to the instructions of the shepherd Lúcia. This sculpture in Brazilian cedar has the signature of José Ferreira Thedim. It is 1meter and 37cm high and it weighs 19 kg.

On 13 May 1920, the image of Our Lady of Fátima was blessed in the Parish Church of Fátima by the Rev. António de Oliveira Reis, archpriest of Torres Novas. The statue was enthroned in the Chapel on 13 June of the same year. It was solemnly crowned on 13 May 1946 by the papal legate Cardinal Bento Aloisi Masella.

The golden crown was offered by a group of Portuguese women on 13 October 1942, in gratitude for Portugal not having entered the Second World War. It weighs 1200 grams and contains 313 pearls and 2679 precious stones. It is inlaid with the bullet offered by John Paul II when he was attacked in Rome on 13 May 1981, as a sign of gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving his life.

On 5 August 2023, during the World Youth Day, at the feet of Our Lady of Fátima, Pope Francis, after a long silence, dedicated a prayer to Our Lady of Fátima: "We consecrate to You the Church and the world, especially the countries at war". A long silence that resumes the voice of millions, united by the desire to erase all wars.

The image of Our Lady of Fátima

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