Fátima & Batalha Road Trip

FÁTIMA

Fátima is a Portuguese town with a long and storied history. Home to dinosaur footprints, massive caves, and pilgrimage sites built by the Roman Catholics, Fátima has many natural and historical wonders to explore. 

Fátima is packed with boarding houses and restaurants for the pilgrim masses, plus hundreds of shops crowded with glow-in-the-dark Virgins and busts of the Pope.

It is situated in the Cova da Iria, it is composed by the prayer, an open space that welcomes millions of pilgrims from all over the world. It’s associated with the visions of 3 children (Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia) that in the year 1917 said they had seen Our Lady for the first time. Today, it occupies an area twice the size of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Fátima is growing rapidly to the world… Considered the largest center of pilgrimage church of Portugal and one of the most relevant in the world, which attracts an average of 5 million people annually, is to fulfill promises or by mere curiosity.

This is why this international pilgrimage center is considered the “Altar Of The World”. The recent popes and especially the Pope John Paul II, made devotee of Our Lady of Fatima which in 1982 where he has gone, gave to the Shrine of Fatima a universal dimension.

The site most sought, where the greatest demonstrations of faith are made, is the Chapel of the Apparitions. There are masses several times a day in different languages. Next is the “Toucheiro of Sanctuary” being burned daily hundreds of candles by pilgrims in fulfilling their promises.

It is exciting, feel the power of faith that moves thousands of pilgrims, the events, customs and the richness of the built heritage, are reasons more than enough for a long and attentive visits.

The time of the year when Fátima as the biggest concentration is during the days of pilgrimages, on 13 May (famous procession of candles) and in October, when the pilgrims fill the streets. Actually  the Pope Francis came this year to the canonization of the two children that had seen Our Lady, he  was greeted by crowds of hundreds of thousands.

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I visit Fátima quite often, at least once a year - What I like in this place is the peace and the comfort that I feel...it's like a feeling of safety and nothing bad will ever happen. As I stood there I always feel so small in this grand square. The word was all that came to mind. I'm truly awed by the size and the beauty and the entire Fatima story.

Even if you aren't a believer it is in did a beautiful place to visit.

The entrance - Basílica da Santíssima Trindade

(The Church of the Most Holy Trinity)

The inside is inspired in Byzantine and orthodox art

Giant handmade Rosary (it glows at night)

Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima

(The Basilica of the Holy Rosary)

BATALHA

Batalha is also a place that I have been before in my life.  Arriving at Batalha, I was once again awed by the beauty and architecture of this immense battle abby that we had seen years before.

In the Founder's Chapel of the Batalha Monastery, you can see the tombs of King John I and his wife, Philippa of Lancaster, and four of their sons. One son was Prince Henry the Navigator his marble tomb is in this chapel. The massive marble tombs are ornate and beautifully carved with figures of angels. The architecture is awesome. The proportions are immense and also ornate. The room as well, as the rest of the church, is huge and very vast. Batalha's church, monastery, and grounds are well kept. Very impressive after almost 700 years (The inside is not shown in pictures due to the schedule, It was already closed when I arrived there).

Outside in the huge courtyard you see a statue of a General on his horse. This is the statue of the famous Nuno Alvares Pereira. The coat of arms of the Pereira family is displayed on the base of the monument.The family was one of the most important Portuguese families of 14th century Portugal.

The Gothic and Manueline architecture is ornate and the edifice itself is huge.

This structure was built to pay homage to our lady Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians at the Battle of Aljubarrota in August 14 of 1385, the Portuguese troops commanded by the King John I of Portugal (who ordered a monastery to be built at Batalha) and his General Nuno Pereira fought the Castilian army led by their King It took over a century to build the church, convent, and the cloisters, the Portuguese defeated the Castilians through the brilliant military plans of the General.

The victory was an affirmation of Portugal as an independent Kingdom.

The impressive statue is a prelude to the abby itself.

The gardens are serene and you can imagine the monks quietly praying there hundreds of years ago.

This historic moment was actually my favorite in my student times, I got so fascinated by the courage, effort and the patriotic duty in defending our country's independence, this made a major change in future expansion of Portugal.

Decorations on the streets made out of stone and iron - cutest thing ever!!!

Ponte da Boutaca (bridge) - very close to the Batalha monastery, part of the ancient royal road linking Lisbon to Porto
I was standing there recreating in my mind the battle where many men fought and died in that field.

After a long day exploring these two beautiful locations that I love, I decided to stop for a bite and I found a perfect spot in Batalha -  I had a mushroom risotto and for desert I got Vegan Mango Ice cream, that ended up being the perfect Sunday dinner.