Parish Cemetery In Fatima (where Francisco and Jacinta were originally buried)

Parish Cemetery in Fatima (Original Burial Site for Francisco & Jacinta)

When the two Marto children died at ages 10 (Francisco - 1919) and 9 (Jacinta - 1920), they were buried in the parish cemetery.

Here are some photos of that cemetery . . . the children's remains were moved to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima in the early 1950's.

Parish Cemetery in Fatima

View of Cemetery and Parish Church in the Distance

 Overall View of Parish Cemetery

Juan Carlos Talks about the Original Graves

of Francisco and Jacinta Marto

Another View of the Graves

Another View of the Graves

 

Aljustrel, Portugal -- Houses Where Fatima Children Lived with House Museum

Houses of the Three Fatima Children and House Museum (Aljustrel, Portugal)

Lucia’s House

The house where Lucia de Jesus, the youngest of seven children, was born and lived is located in Aljustrel, about 2 kilometers away from the Shrine of Fatima. The first interrogations of the seers took place in this house. In the backyard, one can still see the fig trees under the shade of which the three little shepherds played and where they hid when sought by pilgrims or curious.

 In 1981, Sister Lucia donated the house to the Shrine; it only took possession of it in 1986. The area surrounding the house was arranged and was built a new information office, inaugurated on August 13, 1994.

Lucia's House

Stone Bench

Wash Basin

Courtyard Outside House

Lucia's Parents' Bedroom 

(where Lucia was born)

Lucia's Bedroom (shared with sisters)

Lucia's Bedroom

 House Museum of Aljustrel

The House Museum of Aljustrel is located next to Lucia’s birth house, in that small village called Aljustrel, about 2 kilometers away from the Shrine of Fatima. This first permanent Museological Centre of the Shrine was inaugurated on August 19, 1992, and is located in the house once owned by Maria Rosa, baptism godmother of Lucia. It is divided in four sections which allow us to understand the daily life back to the period of time of the apparitions. This conception was produced by Joaquim Roque Abrantes, Manuel Serafim Pinto and Maria Palmira Carvalho, who have taken as a starting point to accomplish such a task the entire inventory gathered years before by Francisco Pereira de Oliveira.

Jacinta and Francisco’s House

It was in this house, located at 2 kilometers away from the Shrine of Fatima, in the village of Aljustrel, that Blessed Francisco and Jacinta were born, the two youngest children of the family Marto. It was here that Our Lady appeared four times, three times to Jacinta and once to Jacinta and Francisco.

This house is 200 meters away from Lucia’s. It was acquired by the Shrine in November 1996, and later rebuilt.

Francisco and Jacinta's House

Francisco's Bedroom 

(where he died on April 4, 1919)

Jacinta's Bedroom

Fatima Shrine Plaza

Here are some additional photos of the Fatima Shrine Plaza . . .

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at Night

Chapel of the Apparitions

People Walking on Their Knees to the Chapel of the Apparitions

View of the Tall Bronze Crucifix and the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity

Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity - Fatima

While in Fatima, we also visited the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity. The basilica is situated within the enclosure of the Sanctuary of Fatima, on the opposite side of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. The cornerstone of the church comes from a marble fragment of St. Peter's tomb, located under St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The church is a modern, round, white building. The color of the stone that covers it is a local stone known as "white of the sea." It seats close to 9,000 people. Surrounding the structure are 26-foot lateral doors in bronze, each dedicated to one of the 12 apostles of Christ.

This basilica definitely has a different look and feel in comparison to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is more traditional in its architecture and layout.

Upon entering the assembly area and looking towards the altar, you'll see a large crucifix and a large panel in mosaic representing the "Heavenly Jerusalem."

Outside the basilica, there is a large bronze statue of Pope St. John Paul II and a 34-meter high bronze cross.

Plaza Outside Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity

Mysteries of the Rosary

Mysteries of the Rosary

Bronze Door Dedicated to St. Matthew

Bronze Door Dedicated to St. Peter

Crucifix Above Altar

Looking Towards the Altar

Mosaic Behind Altar on the Right

Mosaic Behind Altar on the Left

Bronze Statue of Pope St. John Paul II in Plaza

110-Foot High Bronze Crucifix in Plaza

Chapel of the Apparitions - Fatima

The Chapel of the Apparitions is an open-air chapel built on the site of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. Inside the chapel is a single white column over the site of a small holm oak tree over which the Virgin Mary began appearing on May 13, 1017. A statue of the Pilgrim Virgin is located there and is carried in the nightly rosary processions.

The chapel was built in 1919 in response to the request of Our Lady of the Rosary, who told the children, "I want you to make a chapel here in my honor."
This chapel was blown up by opponents of the Church in 1922, and shortly thereafter, reconstruction of the current chapel was begun.

The chapel is the most important site in the entire Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima complex and is visited by close to four million pilgrims each year.

Open-air Chapel of the Apparitions

Chapel from another angle

Inside the Chapel - Ready for Mass to begin

Inside the Chapel - During Mass

White column over the site of a small holm oak tree

where our Lady of Fatima appeared. 

Pilgrim Virgin statue on display.

Cork Trees in Portugal

Cork is a major product in Portugal, and we were able to see lots of cork oak trees in the Fatima area!

The versatile vegetable tissue known as cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree. Cork is most easily stripped off the tree in late spring and summer when the cells are turgid and fragile and tear without being damaged. The tree quickly forms new layers of cork and restores its protective barrier. No tree is ever cut down. This simple fact makes cork harvesting exceptionally sustainable.

The bark of the cork oak is stripped away every nine to ten years and it takes at least 25 years for a new tree to become profitable. Each tree will provide a harvest of some 200 years.

Cork isn't just used for bottle-stoppers. The Portuguese make a variety of things from cork, and they sell them in tourist shops. One person in our group bought some cork sandals and wore them for the rest of the pilgrimage!

Check out the trees we saw and the products that are made from cork.

Cork is on top

Closeup of previous photo - Cork is very spongy.

View of the whole cork tree

Cork products

Cork products

Chapel of the Angel of Peace

The Angel of Peace appeared to the three visionaries in 1916 to prepare them for the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.

We had Mass twice in the Chapel of the Angel of Peace while we were in Fatima.

Chapel of the Angel of Peace (in Portuguese)

Entering the Chapel

Mass in the Chapel

"Christus Est Pax Nostra" (Christ is our Peace)

(words are in the lower left corner of the image)

Fr. Chris celebrates Mass in the Chapel