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Our Lady of Fátima
Fátima is now one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world. It all began in 1917 in a small town in Portugal with three children who were tending sheep.
Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, the children of Fátima, 1917 (Wikimedia Commons, public domain)
History of the apparitions
On May 13, 1917, Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, three children between 7 and 10 years old, said that a Lady dressed in white had appeared to them at Cova da Iria. She asked them to return on the 13th of every month, and they did so until October. Our Lady asked them to pray the rosary for peace in the world.
On October 13, 1917, tens of thousands of people gathered at the site claimed to see the sun move in the sky: this is what is known as the "miracle of the sun".
Our Our Lady of Fátima medals
With rubies and sapphires
With jasper and blue enamel
With agate and white enamel
With pearls and white enamel
With pearls and turquoise enamel
With pearls and navy blue enamel
The tradition
Her feast day is celebrated on May 13, and every May 12 and 13 and October 12 and 13, pilgrims from all over the world arrive in Fátima, many of them on foot. The candlelit processions at night are one of the most moving moments of the pilgrimage.
Want to see our medal? Watch our Our Lady of Fátima reel on Instagram.
Fun facts
- Francisco and Jacinta died as children and were canonized in 2017, on the centenary of the apparitions.
- The bullet from the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981, is set in the crown of the image of Our Lady of Fátima. The Pope attributed the saving of his life to Our Lady.
- Lúcia became a nun and lived until 2005.
Facts you can check
- The image venerated in the Capelinha was carved in 1920 by the sculptor José Ferreira Thedim from Brazilian cedar wood. It was placed in the chapel on June 13 of that year. Source
- Her precious crown was made with gold and jewelry gifted by Portuguese women in 1942 as an act of thanksgiving. Necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings were transformed into a single jewel for Our Lady. Source
- The image was canonically crowned on May 13, 1946, by Cardinal Aloisi Masella, legate of Pope Pius XII. Source
- The three children rest in the sanctuary: Francisco and Jacinta in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, consecrated in 1953, and Lúcia alongside Jacinta since 2006. Source
- The third part of the “secret” was written by Sister Lúcia in Tuy, in Galicia, on January 3, 1944. The Holy See made it public in 2000. Source
Why give an Our Lady of Fátima medal
It is a gift full of meaning for someone who has made a pilgrimage to Fátima or dreams of doing so, for a First Communion, for a Communion, or to accompany someone in a time when they need peace. It is also very special in May, the month of the apparitions.
Discover our Our Lady of Fátima medals, handmade in Spain with pearls, natural stones and enamels.