Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, Portugal

By Prof. Dr. Daniel C. Afonso · Updated 24 October 2026

Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima is the Marian title consecrated by the apparitions of 1917 in the Iria Hollow, Portugal. In each of the six apparitions, from May to October 1917, the Virgin revealed herself as «Our Lady of the RosaryHe insisted on the daily recitation of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world and the conversion of sinners. The Basilica bearing her name, inaugurated in 1953 in front of the site of the apparitions, has become one of the most visited Marian pilgrimage centers in the world.

Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima, Portugal

Fátima is a small town in central Portugal, north of Lisbon. The events described did not take place in what was then a village, but in the surrounding area, in a place called Cova da Iria.

On May 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary appeared, presenting herself as Our Lady of the Rosary and as the Immaculate Heart of Mary to three children: Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco, and Jacinta Marto, aged 10, 9, and 7, respectively. Their families, dedicated to field work, are humble. The Virgin appeared six times until October, always on the 13th of each month, except in August, when she appeared on the 19th, as the Shepherds were under interrogation at the time of the Apparition.

In addition to the Virgin Mary, they also saw celestial presences and a vision of hell. The visionaries received messages and secrets of worldwide importance from Our Lady. Among the requests of the Virgin, we find prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners, especially for Russia. The message is of great contemporary relevance and clearly linked to historical and political events of the time, and its prophecies have, one by one, been fulfilled. These apparitions gave a boost to a great spiritual movement among the masses of the faithful, ever more numerous.

A significant impression is caused by the grand miracle of the sun, witnessed on October 13 by many people. After a thorough examination, Bishop J. Correia da Silva, on October 13, 1930, recognized the apparitions of Fátima as a genuine supernatural phenomenon.

Over the years, to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims, two basilicas, along with several convents and monasteries, have been built. Fátima has become one of the most important shrines in the world. Sister Lúcia of the Immaculate Heart of Mary wrote her Memoirs between 1935 and 1941. These, along with the volumes of the rigorous examination of the events in Fátima, have become a source to understand the Secret of Fátima.

To better understand the apparitions of Fátima, we will attempt to narrate the historical events.

Lúcia was born on March 30, 1907, the youngest of seven children of Maria Rosa and António. At the age of six, she made her first communion and placed symbolically in the hands of a statue of the Virgin a heart. This gesture was repeated several times, spontaneously and with sincere joy, a few days before receiving the Most Holy Sacrament. In 1915, Lúcia, with the help of her three friends, took the flock of the family to the pastures on Monte Cabeço. One day, the four friends began to recite the Rosary, and as they started their prayers, they saw, all at once, a figure of light, very clear, moving among the trees. At the end of the prayer, the figure disappeared. Lúcia and her friends noticed, in the following days, the same presence two more times. Her parents objected to the girls, attributing it to their imagination, and forbade them to go pasturing with Lúcia. She then meets Jacinta and Francisco on the same Monte Cabeço. One afternoon, the children saw indistinctly a white and transparent figure approaching them. It was an angel. The celestial creature introduced himself as ‘the Angel of Peace’ and ‘the Angel of Portugal’. He took the appearance of a young man aged 14-15 and told the children:

“Do not be afraid, I am the angel of peace; pray with me.”

In his first appearance, he communicates to them his spirit of reparation, teaching them a prayer: “My God, I believe, adore, hope, and love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not love You.” The Angel, while reciting the prayer, genuflects, lowering his head to the ground. He then stands up and says: “Thus must you pray. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are open to your prayers.”

In his second appearance, while the children played in the family’s courtyard near the well, the Angel appeared to them and taught them the practice of sacrifice, especially daily.

In the Angel’s third appearance, the children were in the fields with the flock, and in prayer. This time, they saw him bathed in a strange light: he held in his left hand a chalice containing blood from a host suspended in the air. The Angel allowed the chalice to float in the air, then knelt down beside the three children and began to pray: “Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You deeply and offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in all the altars on earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference with which He is Himself offended, and for the infinite merits of His Most Holy Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I ask for the conversion of poor sinners.”

Then, the children received a ‘mystical’ communion: the Angel took the chalice and host from the air, gave the host to Lucia to communicate, and the blood from the chalice to Jacinta and Francisco, while repeating these words: “Receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, who was so terribly offended by human ingratitude. Expiate your sins and console Your God.” He then knelt down again and repeated with the children the prayer of the Most Holy Trinity three times. Finally, the Angel disappeared into the air, leaving the children filled with inner peace and joy.

First Appearance (May 13, 1917). After Sunday Mass, the children took their flocks to graze in the Iria Valley, which later became famous for the apparitions of the Angel. After eating and reciting the Rosary, they began to play. Around noon, a strange flash of light crossed the serene sky, which the children interpreted as thunder, and, anticipating a storm, they gathered the flock and made their way back home. Passing near some bushes, in particular one over a meter tall, they are illuminated by a very bright white light in the center of which they see the figure of a very beautiful Lady who calls them. It is Our Lady. The dress of the Mother of God has the purity of snow, and from her hands joined at her chest hangs a graceful Rosary ending in a golden cross. Our Lady bears signs of profound sorrow on her face. With a friendly gesture, she draws near the children and begins to speak.

The Sister Lúcia writes in her Memories that the children had no fear of this apparition, but of a possible storm. Only later did they understand that the thunder was a reflection of the light surrounding the Holy Virgin, and from then on they learned that when that light appeared, the apparition of the beloved Lady was near.

The Second Appearance took place on June 13, the feast day of Saint Anthony of Lisbon, the patron of the Parish of Fátima. After Mass, the children, accompanied by approximately forty people who had heard about the apparitions, went to the place of the divine grace. Upon their return, they were mistreated and beaten by their parents who did not believe them.

With deep sorrow and bitterness, the Carmelite sister later recalled in her Memories that the evil inflicted on her by this behavior of the family was similar to the tears of a sacrificial expiation before God Our Lord.

The Third Appearance took place on July 13, when they saw the vision of Hell and were communicated the first two parts of the famous message.

The “Secret of Fátima”

Our Lady taught the little shepherds the following prayer: “O my good Jesus, forgive our sins, deliver us from the fire of hell, take all souls to heaven, especially those who most need Your mercy.”

On this occasion, over two thousand people witnessed the apparition, including the relatives of the visionaries. Just days after the apparition, the mother of Sister Lúcia took her to the parish priest, who was skeptical about the supernatural Marian manifestations, believing they could be a deception by the devil.

The Fourth Apparition (August 19th)

Despite anti-Catholic press in Portugal at the time, we recall that the country had suffered a coup d’état years earlier, imposing a clearly anti-Catholic republic and controlling the national press. On the 13th, over fifteen thousand people gathered. The crowd did not see Mary or the shepherds, only heard thunder and saw a flash of lightning. Later, when they looked up at the sky, they marveled at the clouds that radiated the luminous colors of a rainbow. The reason the shepherds did not attend is that the Mayor of Vila Nova de Ourém had kidnapped the three visionaries to be returned to their parents three days later, after threatening them with death and torture if they did not reveal the Secret. This fourth apparition did not occur on the 13th but on August 19th. Here, Lúcia and Francisco were grazing in a meadow when they heard thunder twice and Mary appeared to them. Our Lady asked the children to pray for sinners going to hell because they had no one to pray for them. She also foretold a miracle and some healings to confirm the faith of those present. Then she disappeared, always heading towards the East.

The Fifth Apparition (September 13th)

This apparition had already attracted thousands of people, with a collective vision of a luminous sphere on the horizon heading towards the East, and also a white cloud that enveloped the children and caused small flakes to fall like white flowers that dissolved upon touching the ground.

The Sixth and Final Apparition (October 13th)

This is the most famous apparition, with the arrival of autumn, heavy rains, Our Lady’s promise of a miracle, and an estimated fifty thousand people waiting for it to happen, along with numerous sick persons imploring for a cure. Many people knelt in reverence, and Our Lady presented herself to the shepherds with these words: “I am the Lady of the Rosary. I want a chapel built in my honor here. Continue to pray the Rosary every day. The war is about to end, and the soldiers will return home.” Lúcia then asked Our Lady to cure some of the sick, and She replied: “Some will be healed, others not, because they need to improve and pray for the expiation of their sins.” With a sad expression, She added: “One should not offend the Lord any more, who has already been so much offended.”

With the vision gone, the children saw around the sun other indistinct visions. Suddenly, the solar sphere began to spin in a dizzying manner. It was the prodigy announced by Mary a few months earlier. In this movement, the sun projected rainbow colors in all directions upon the people.

In addition to these well-known and reported apparitions, we must also add the appearance of Holy Mary to Jacinta before her death. The youngest of the shepherd children, in October 1918, falls into a severe illness, and shortly after, Francis also becomes ill. Our Lady appears to Jacinta, who tells Lúcia that both her cousins will suffer in the hospital for the conversion of sinners and in this way they will wash away the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Jesus, going to Heaven shortly afterward. In fact, Francis died on April 4, 1919, and Jacinta on February 20, 1920.

As aparições de (The apparitions of) Our Lady of Fátima And his message of prayer through the Rosary is framed in the encyclical. Mother of the Redeemer Of John Paul II, who exalted Mary as a mother guiding humanity to peace and conversion through filial prayer.

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See the complete list of recognized Marian apparitions.

Learn how to pray the Rosary in our guide: How to Pray the Rosary, step by step.