083016 Santarém and Fátima

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our Camino in 2016. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).

Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons) indicate that source in the caption.

We woke up at 7:45 am and ate buffet breakfast at Hotel Umu.

Then we walked (20 minutes) to the bus station for the 10:45 departure to Fátima. While we were waiting, we noticed two identical murals, one over the entrance to the station’s waiting room and the other opposite it, over the doors leading to the busses.

9:49 AM – Santarém: part of mural in bus station, showing the azulejos above the main entrance to the Mercado Municipal (City Market).

The bus passed through vineyards and olive groves. We arrived in Fátima at 11:30.

The name of the town is a rendition of the Arabic given name Fatima (فاطمة Fāṭimah), reportedly the name of a 12th-century Moorish princess whom the knight Gonçalo Hermigues and his companions kidnapped and took to a small village in the recently created Kingdom of Portugal. According to tradition, Fatima fell in love with her kidnapper and converted to Christianity to marry him.

The history of Fátima is associated with three local children: 9-year-old Lucia dos Santos and her younger cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, who on May 13, 1917, while tending their sheep in the Cova da Iria, witnessed an apparition of a lady dressed in white, whom they later assumed was the Virgin Mary. The site at Cova da Iria is now where the Chapel of Apparitions stands. The lady, later referred to as Our Lady of the Rosary (and as Our Lady of Fátima by parishioners and pilgrims), indicated that she was sent by God with a message of prayer, repentance, and consecrations. She visited the children on the 13th day of each month from May to October. At the last apparition, the 70,000 pilgrims in attendance witnessed the “Miracle of the Sun.” In addition, Our Lady of Fátima sent a message that consisted of “three secrets”: first, a vision of Hell “where the souls of the sinful would travel” without prayer; at  the second visit, the lady told them to say the Rosary daily to obtain peace and the end of the war (3 month earlier, the first contingent of Portuguese soldiers had embarked for the front lines of World War I); and ultimately the mysterious “Third Secret,” which Lúcia transcribed in 1944 and has been held by the Vatican since 1957.

Children of Fatima (en.wikipedia.org).

After Lúcia became a nun at the age of 14, she recounted in her memoirs three prior visits from an angle to her and her cousins in 1916, at nearby Vila Nova de Ourém. Jacinta died in 1919 and Francisco in 1920, from the Spanish flu epidemic, and they were later beatified in 2000 by Pope John Paul II. Sister Lúcia meanwhile remained a nun until she died in 2005, at the age of 97.

A shop selling religious articles by the bus station had a sign for a free map. The lady in the shop marked the map with places we should go and where to find a mass at 12:20.

The Santuário de Fátima (Sanctuary of Fátima) is a group of buildings, shrines, and monuments dispersed throughout a complex of open panoramas and vistas dominated by the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Church of the Most Holy Trinity bookending it at its two ends.  In addition to the Basilica da Nossa Senhora de Rosário (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary), the complex includes, among others, the Capela das Apariçõnes (Chapel of the Apparitions), the Capela de Nossa Senhora das Dores (Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows), the rectory, and the Albergue e Casa de Retiros de Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Hostel/Retreat House of Our Lady of Mount Carmel). At the opposite end from the main Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity is the much larger Basilica da Santissima Trinidade (Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity), constructed in 1953 due to the limited scale of the Santuário for large-scale pilgrimages and religious services; it is the 4th largest Catholic church in the world.



3:26 PM – Fátima: Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows (telephoto 64 mm).

We got to the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows around noon, where a large crowd was already gathered. We had to stand almost outside the covered area of the open-air chapel. Shortly after we arrived, a rosary began, in Portuguese. When the rosary ended, many people left, and we were able to find seats for the mass—again in Portuguese.

After the mass, we stopped at the Tourist (Information) Office in the sanctuary area and got the first of two identical carimbos (the other was from the Carmelites at the museum).

Fátima: carimbo stamp for “Santuario de Fátima – Caminho de Santiago” from Tourist Information Office.

Then we exited that side of the santuário complex and found Restaurante Fátima on Rua São José, which was attached to a Guest House. We got appetizers: 2 breads (€0.40 ea), olives (€0.80), tuna paté (€0.95), and sardine paté (€0.85); main course: MT had Bife de Cervejeira (beef in beer, €12.50) / Don had Escalopes de Vitela (veal cutlets with mushrooms, €9.50); we drank 4 (25 cl) bottles of water (€1.10 ea), 1 bottle (375 ml) Vinho Casa (house wine, €3,90, but we later found we had been changed €7.80 for 2 bottles, which we had originally ordered but had changed our mind when the wine was very slow in coming); for a total (with tax) of €37.60, which we charged on our Capital One card.

2:46 PM – Fátima: menu for August 30 posted outside Restaurante Fátima.

Then we went back into the santuário and revisited the Chapel of the Apparitions (Portuguese: Capelinha or Capela das Aparições), which was inside the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows. We prayed there for our own intentions.

2:59 PM – Fátima: Chapel of the Apparitions, inside the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, with the statue of Our Lady of Fátima in a glass case at the left.

2:59 PM – Fátima: Chapel of the Apparitions – close-up of Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima (Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima) in azulejos on side of chapel.

In order to mark the location of the apparitions, a wooden arch with a cross was initially constructed in Cova da Iria, and the faithful began to make pilgrimages to the site. In 1918, with donations from the public, construction of a small chapel Capelinha das Aparições (Chapel of the Apparitions) was begun, built from limestone with a tile roof; it was 11 ft long, 9.2 ft wide, and 9.4 ft high. On May 13, 1920, pilgrims defied government troops to install a statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel. The small chapel was rebuilt by 1923. In 1946, Pope Pius XII granted a Canonical Coronation to the venerated image of Our Lady of Fátima enshrined at the chapel.

Near the Chapel of the Apparitions, we saw a lady crawling on her knees (with knee pads). We later saw 4 ladies, 2 at a time, doing this on the corridor between the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Church of the Most Holy Trinity. It was interesting that most of the ladies doing this were accompanied by their family, not on their knees.

3:01PM – Fátima: near Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows – lady crawling on her knees around the chapel.

Next, we visited the Basilica da Nossa Senhora de Rosário (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary).

3:01 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – façade and tower, with covered enclosure of altar for outdoor masses on steps in front of it.

The Basilica de Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Basilica of Our Lady of Fátima), also known as Basilica da Nossa Senhora de Rosário (Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary), at the far end of the sanctuary’s esplanade, is a neo-classical structure with a central bell tower 65 m (213 ft) high, decorated by a bronze crown weighing 15,000 lbs and with a large statue of Our Lady of Fátima, which stands in a niche above the main entrance of the basilica. It is flanked by colonnades linking it with the extensive convent and hospital buildings. Within the basilica are the tombs of the three witnesses to the apparitions. On May 13, 1928, the first foundation stone was laid for the construction of the basilica and colonnade of Fátima, a process that continued until 1954. The colonnade was actually built between1949 and 1954. The Church of Our Lady of Fátima was consecrated between 1953 and 2007 and was granted the title of Basilica in 1954. At the four corners of the basilica are statues of the four great apostles of the Rosary and their devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Saint Domenic of Gusman, Saint John Eudes, and Saint Stephen, King of Hungary.

3:03 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – left colonnade next to tower of church.

3:06 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – the entire left colonnade, façade and tower, and altar for outdoor masses.

3:03 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – far left part of colonnade and tower of church (statue of St. Francis de Sales is 2nd from left).

3:02 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – statue of St. Francis de Sales on left colonnade (telephoto 360 mm).

3:04 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – top of façade (over roof for outdoor altar) and tower (telephoto 54 mm).

3:05 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – part of right colonnade nearest the tower.

3:07 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – façade and tower, with part of right colonnade. Because of the outdoor altar in front of the Basilica, the only way to photograph the bottom part of the façade was from this angle.

3:09 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – statue of Our Lady of Fátima with rosary hanging from her right hand, in niche above entrance (telephoto 76 mm).

3:10 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – view from rear to apse.

3:12 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – Latin motto over main altar: “Regina Sacratissimi Rosarii Fatimæ ora pro nobis” (Most Holy Queen of the Rosary of Fátima pray for us) (telephoto 64 mm).

3:12 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – main altar (telephoto 64 mm).

3:17 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – scene above main altar, with Mary being crowned by the Trinity with a dove representing the Holy Spirit (telephoto 46 mm).

3:13 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – side altar, Christ’s Resurrection, and colorful modern stained glass window above it.

MT 3:19 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – top of side altar, for Station 8, Coroação de Espinhos (Coronation of Thorns), and colorful modern stained glass window above it.

MT 3:21 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – another colorful modern stained glass window above a side altar.

3:20 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – tombs of Jacinta and María Lúcia with statue of a girl with sheep, at left front.

MT 3:23 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary –statue of a boy with sheep above tomb of Francisco, at right front.

3:22 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – stained glass windows on right side of nave.

3:11 PM – Fátima: Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – stained glass windows on left side of nave.

4:08 PM – Fátima: view back toward Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary – lady crawling on her knees (with knee pads) on corridor between Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows (at left) and the Church of the Most Holy Trinity (behind camera), accompanied by man walking.

3:07 PM – Fátima: statues of two children, with rosaries, between Basilica and Rectory (telephoto 186 mm). Because of construction around the garden with the statue, Don had to use telephoto.

After the Basilica, we went to the (Carmelite) Rectory, where we got another carimbo identical to the one at the Tourist Office. We paid (€1.00 ea) to visit the underground museum next to the Rectory and also operated by Carmelite sisters. This began with a movie in Portuguese, but with subtitles in Italian, which we could both understand (MT more than Don). Then a sister began the guided tour, in Portuguese. So, we just went on through the museum on our own, helped by a small guidebook in English. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the museum.

Fátima: carimbo stamps for “Santuario de Fátima – Caminho de Santiago” from Carmelite Rectory (right) was identical to the one from the Tourist Information Office (left).

Then we left the Santuário to find the Domus Carmeli (House of Carmel), which the man who gave us carimbos at the Rectory had marked on a map for us. The lady at the front desk said part of the place was reserved for priests, and the rest was open to others to stay and have meals.

4:28 PM – Fátima: Domus Carmeli – exterior.

4:21 PM – Fátima: Domus Carmeli – MT at front door.

4:21 PM – Fátima: Domus Carmeli – front door with Carmelite emblem and MT’s reflection.

4:23 PM – Fátima: Domus Carmeli – chapel.

4:24 PM – Fátima: Domus Carmeli – close-up of statue of Virgin in chapel (telephoto 133 mm).

Then we went back to the bus station, arriving a bit early for the 5:15 bus to Santarém, which left on time. In the meantime, we bought a refrigerator magnet saying Portugal, with rooster (symbol of Portugal) and castle. During the bus ride, Don caught up on notes and photos, although it was bumpy.

The bus arrived in Santarém at 6:30 pm. We walked back to Hotel Umu. Don showered and we washed clothes and hung them to dry.

6:47 PM – Santarém: Hotel Umu – exterior.