The best running trails around Cercal

The Sanctuary of Fatima, in central Portugal, is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world. Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary Neo-Baroque style, with a 65-meter tower crowned by a large cross. It houses the tombs of the three shepherd children: Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. Chapel of the Apparitions Marks the exact spot where the Virgin Mary appeared in 1917. An intimate space, frequently visited by pilgrims to pray and light candles. Basilica of the Holy Trinity Inaugurated in 2007, with modern architecture and a capacity for more than 8,000 people. It contrasts with the classical style of the Basilica of the Rosary. Sanctuary Esplanade Large square where Masses and processions are held, especially on May 13 and October 13.

The High Cross is a monument erected on 29 August 2007 at the Sanctuary of Fátima, designed by the artist Robert Schad and measuring 34 metres in height. It was built to replace the old High Cross, which was 27 metres high and erected to mark the end of the Holy Year of 1950/1951, and which was located at the back of the prayer area, where the Basilica of the Holy Trinity is now located. It was donated to the National Sanctuary of Christ the King, in Almada.[1] It was built by the Portuguese company 'Mecanidraulica (Maia) and transported in 4 parts to Fátima. The oxidation of the corten steel, the material in which it was built, gives it an appearance that changes colour, becoming redder in dry weather and darker in the rain. A living Cross, with its own personality, just like Fátima

During this International Anniversary Pilgrimage in May 2022, the 5th anniversary of the canonization of Francisco and Jacinta Marto will be celebrated, who on May 13, 2017 became the youngest non-martyr saints of the Church. The canonization took place in Cova da Iria, during the celebrations of the Centenary of the Apparitions, presided over by Pope Francis, after a miracle attributed to Francisco and Jacinta was approved, validated by the Vatican on March 23, 2017 and announced on April 20, at the end of the Ordinary Public Consistory to vote on some Causes of Canonization, in what would be the last stage of a process that lasted 65 years. At 10:26 am on May 13, 2017, the Holy Father declared the sanctity of Francisco and Jacinta Marto at the altar of the Prayer Area, in a canonization rite that took place at the beginning of the Mass and after the formal request of the then bishop of Leiria-Fátima, D. António Marto, accompanied by the Postulator of the Cause of Canonization of Francisco and Jacinta, a moment that is remembered on the eve of the Sanctuary of Fátima.

The Sanctuary of Fátima is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Catholic world. It is located in the city of Fátima, Portugal, and is the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three children in 1917. These children were Lúcia dos Santos, aged 10, and her cousins Francisco Marto, aged 9, and Jacinta Marto, aged 7.

The Chapel of the Apparitions is the "heart" of the Sanctuary of Fátima. It was in the place where the Chapel is located that Our Lady spoke to the little shepherds. Of the six apparitions of the Virgin Mary, five took place in this place – May, June, July, September and October – where, at the request of Our Lady, a chapel was to be built in her honour. Built between 28 April and 15 June 1919, it was later blessed and Mass was celebrated there for the first time on 13 October 1921. Dynamited in the early hours of 6 March 1922, it was restored and reopened on 13 January 1923. Although subject to slight alterations, the Chapel of the Apparitions maintains the original and characteristic features of a hermitage

The Shrine of Fátima is an important pilgrimage site of the Catholic Church, visited by millions of pilgrims annually (6.8 million in 2023, more than any other pilgrimage site in Europe). The shrine includes, of course, the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Rosary Basilica (Basilica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário, also called the Old Basilica, (title: Minor Basilica)), the fourth-largest church in the world, the Trinity Basilica (Igreja da Santissima Trindade), and the world's largest church forecourt. The Shrine of Fátima is one of the eight international shrines of the Catholic Church. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Basilica of the Trinity is the 4th largest Catholic church in the world and the largest new church built in the 21st century. Completed in 2007 according to plans by the Greek architect A. Tombasis. It has a diameter of 125 m (the above-ground part) and a volume of 130,000 m3. It has 8,633 seats and from every seat you have an unobstructed view, as the basilica could be built without supporting pillars. It has 12 side entrances, one for each of Jesus' disciples and a main entrance dedicated to Jesus himself. The main portal alone is 64 square meters in size. All just superlatives!! Unbelievable. You have to see it to be believed.

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