Fatima
On the 13th May 1917 Our Lady first appeared to Lucia de Jesus and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, as they were tending to their flock of sheep, to bring the message of love and peace to a world divided by war.
In all there were six monthly apparitions, from May to October, and on 13th October approximately 70,000 people travelled to the Cova da Iria to witness the final appearance of Our Lady when she also told them that she was the 'Lady of the Rosary' and that a chapel was to be built there in her memory. The crowd also witnessed the promised 'Miracle of the Sun', where it could be gazed at without difficulty, was seen spinning like a wheel on fire and appearing to be falling to the earth.
Since then, pilgrims travel to this national shrine of Portugal all year around to worship 'Our Lady Queen of Peace’ and 'Our Lady of the Rosary'.
On the 13th May 2017, Pope Francis visited Fatima and during the Mass he confirmed the cannonisation of Francisco and Jacinta Marto as Portugal's newest Saints. In the history of the Catholic church, Francisco and Jacinta are the first child Saints who are not Martyrs.
