Being par excellence a place of Christian pilgrimage and Catholic devotion, this place keeps the memory of events that led to its foundation, namely the apparitions of Our Lady to the three little shepherds (Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto) in 1917. Its relevance from a religious point of view, it has long been consensually recognized, both nationally and internationally. The Holy Apostolic See recognized this space as a National Shrine. It is also one of the most important Marian shrines in the world belonging to the Catholic Church and is a major international destination within religious tourism. It receives around 6 million visitors a year. Fátima was visited by Popes John VI (1967), John Paul II (1982, 1991 and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010) and Francis (2017). Its construction began in 1919 with the Capelinha das Aparições and over the years the sanctuary was expanded. Today it has two basilicas and can accommodate many more pilgrims indoors. The impulse generated by the Sanctuary of Fátima was responsible for the exponential growth of an area of ​​the country that until then was very little developed. The sanctuary has very different styles, including revivalist and more current buildings. The main buildings of the Sanctuary of Fatima are:

• Chapel of the Apparitions
• Prayer Precinct
• Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (and Colonnade)
• Basilica of the Holy Trinity
• Our Lady of Carmo and Nossa Senhora das Dores retreat houses
• Via Sacra in Valinhos
• Paul VI Pastoral Center

There are also other buildings for the administrative areas, reception of pilgrims, medical care, commerce, meetings and congresses. Over several generations, the sanctuary also counted on the contribution of several national and international artists, who performed a numerous and diverse set of works there. According to the Catholic Church, the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima expresses the request of Our Lady of the Rosary, alluded to on August 13, 1917 and expressly indicated in the apparition of October 13 of that year to Lúcia de Jesus, Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto. The chapel was built in 1919 on the site of the 1917 apparitions at Cova da Iria and since then the sanctuary space has been built in response to the increasing flow of pilgrims. The Sanctuary of Fátima is a place of pilgrimage that recalls its founding event, the apparitions of Our Lady to the three little shepherds. The pastoral welcome of pilgrims is the main element of its mission. In addition, he studies and spreads the message of the apparitions, working them as a means of evangelization in Portugal and in the world.