PORTUGAL – Alentejo & Ribatejo

Alentejo & Ribatejo  (Évora, Beja, Elvas) August 27 and August

I saw the west end of this large region that surrounds Lisbon on the south and west and then returned after seeing Lisbon proper.

Beach Zambujeira do Mar. A small beach set between cliffs, like most of the beaches in SW Portugal on the west coast.
Rota Vicentina Trail. In NM Trails 1 – Treks, this was a paved path in the valley bottom winding through the forest.
Sines. A NM small town, it has a large port with an incredible number of oil pipelines.
Reserve Natural das Lagoas de Santo Andre e Sancha. Impossible to access except through a massive campground, this is a large lake. I drove through easy to get stuck in sandy roads.

Prais da Comporta. One section of a beach extends for many kilometres in both directions, all the way to the tip of the peninsula.
Cetobriga Roman Ruins. This is basically a waste of time if you have seen any Roman ruins. Costs 5€ and is a drive down a dusty dirt road. Takes about 10 minutes to walk around. Has 19 fish-salting tanks and low rock walls.
Praia Troia Mar, An extension of Comporta at the tip of the peninsula, it is backed by several large resort hotels.
I had the option to take the ferry from the peninsula to Setubal (22€) but elected to drive back and around the large bay with 8€ of tolls. This is a big rice-growing area.

I returned to this region on Aug 30 from Marfa.

Cross the huge Tagus Bay on the Vasco da Gama bridge, a 12.35km long, cable-stayed bridge (built 1995-98) with 6 lanes a very long bridge that is the major portion of the 19E toll for this stretch of highway. It is the longest bridge in the European Union, and second to the Crimean Bridge in Europe. It was built to eliminate traffic congestion on the 25 de Abril bridge. It cost Lusoponte $1.1 billion to build – they receive the first 40 years of tolls on both bridges. It is designed to have a life span of 120 years and is able to withstand winds to 250kms/hour and an earthquake 4.5 times stronger than the 1755 Lisbon earthquake (estimated at 8.5-9). The deepest foundation piles extend 95 meters below sea level. Only northbound traffic pays a toll.

EVORA
Historic Centre of Évora. WHS
Church of Bones (Capella dos Ossos). The chapel near the entrance gives its name as the interior walls are covered and decorated with human skulls and bones arranged in patterns of about 5000 friars and locals exhumed from local cemeteries. Two desiccated corpses are in glass display cases. Free
Clock Museum. Lots of clocks and watches, but with a Portuguese bent. 3
Museum of Évora. Well going to for all the marble scavenged from long gone monasteries and convents. The art is typically not worth much. 1.50 reduced.
Évora Roman Temple. Built-in the 1^st century AD, there are 15 nice columns with Corinthian capitals sitting on a large stone platform.
Evora Cathedral. This 3-nave church’s highlights are the chapels celebrating the Virgin, the Treasury, tower, and an unlikely fragment of the cross. 4.50 to see it all.

ESTREMOZ
Convent of São Francisco.  This relatively small 3-nave church has some gilt chapels and an outstanding tree of life with statues of the apostles on branches. Free
Centro Ciencia Viva de Estremoz (Living Science Center). 1 hour guided tours in English with all text in Portuguese. Geology and astronomy. Free

VILA VICOSA.  (pop 8,300) is a municipality in the District of Évora
The area of Vila Viçosa has been inhabited since Antiquity, and it was the site of a small settlement in Roman times. The region was part of the Visigoth Kingdom and in the eighth century came under Moorish control after the Muslim conquest of Hispania. Moorish domination ended in 1217 when the region was reconquered by the Order of Aviz, a military order of knighthood that reclaimed large parts of Southern Portugal to the Christians. The order promoted the settlement of Christians in the area during the 13th century. In 1270.  In the early 14th century, King Dinis I built a castle in the village, to protect it from potential Castilian incursions.
In 1461, Vila Viçosa came to the hands of the House of Braganza, one of the most important houses of the nobility of Portugal. This event was crucial in the history of the village, which became the main base of the Dukes of Braganza in the next centuries. The Dukes had considerable wealth and greatly promoted the economic, urban, and artistic development of the village.
In 1502 the building of the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa was begun, sponsored by Jaime, the fourth Duke of Braganza. Jaime was a skilled military leader who later led the Portuguese to victory against a Moorish army in the Battle of Azamor, in Morocco. The Ducal Palace was greatly remodeled between the 16th and 17th centuries in a sober late Renaissance (Mannerist) style and was decorated through the centuries by several artists. The Dukes also sponsored artistic campaigns in several churches and monasteries in the village.
When Duke John became King John IV, in 1640, the House of Braganza moved to the capital Lisbon, and many of the riches of the Ducal Palace was transferred to the Ribeira Palace. Vila Viçosa became a vacation spot for the members of the Braganza family. This marks the beginning of a period of decay for Vila Viçosa.
In the 20th century, the industries of marble extraction and tourism became the main income sources of the municipality. Marble extraction and processing are responsible for around 93% of jobs in the municipality. Since the early 2000s, the displacement of material production outside Europe and the decreasing demand for natural stone have weakened local marble industries, starting an inexorable process of urban shrinking and depopulation.
Paco Ducal de Vila Vicosa. It was for many centuries the seat of the House of Braganza, one of the most important noble houses in Portugal which was the ruling house of the Kingdom of Portugal from 1640 until 1910 when King Manuel II, the titular head of the family, was deposed in the 5 October 1910 Revolution which brought in a Republican government.
Construction began during the tenure of Duke Jaime of Braganza, between 1501–1502. The House of Braganza regained much of its power and wealth over time due to Duke Jaime’s close kinship with the royal family (he being the nephew of King Manuel I of Portugal) and his actions in reconciling relations between the nobles. Duke Jaime of Braganza commanded the victorious expedition to Azamor in 1513 and having secured a pardon expanded the wealth of the House of Braganza, and contributed to the growth of the ducal palace.
In 1535 Teodósio I, 5th Duke of Braganza was appointed Constable of the Kingdom.[1] He managed to negotiate the marriage of his sister, Isabella of Braganza, with Infante Edward, 4th Duke of Guimarães (a brother of King John III of Portugal), securing a closer association with the royal family. Following the need to expand the palace for the celebrations of the royal marriage, Teodósio I began the construction of the imposing facade, faced with marble in the Italianate style, and in 1558 began the installation of the Sala de Música (Hall of Music). It was the 7th Duke, Teodósio II, who in 1583 began the grand works of the classical facade, completed in 1635 during the regency of King John IV of Portugal, formerly Duke of Braganza. In 1602, Teodósio II married the Spanish noblewoman Ana de Velasco y Girón, hoping to produce heirs. In commemoration of the marriage a composition of azulejo tiles by Fernando Loyaza, known as the Talavera de la Reina, was installed in the Sala Grande (Great Hall). Following the 1640 ascension of João II, 8th Duke of Braganza to the throne of Portugal as King John IV, the palace lost its importance as the permanent residence of the Dukes of Braganza. During the Napoleonic invasion of the Iberian peninsula, the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil, and the palace was closed.
Fronting a huge cobbled square with an equestrian statue, this 3-story palace is only seen by guided tour in groups of 15 and only in Portuguese, 7, no reduction.
Museu Nacional dos Coches

ELVAS
Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications. WHS. Near the Portuguese-Spanish border, the site was extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century, its fortification began during the Portuguese Restoration War. The fortifications played a major role in the Battle of the Lines of Elvas in 1659. The fortifications were designed by Dutch Jesuit Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site consists of the following:
Amoreira Aqueduct, built to withstand long sieges. This spectacular four-arch aqueduct is the first site of Elvas as you come from the west.
Historic Centre. It is like most other Portuguese towns without a hint of what is surrounding it.
Fort of Santa Luzia. Sitting on a low hill close to the main town, it is an imposing fortress of walls.
Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort. Sitting on a high hill just north of town, the fort is not as imposing as its location.
Fortlet of São Mamede
Fortlet of São Pedro
Fortlet of São Domingos
Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications (Bulwarked Fortifications of the “Raia” (Border). Tentative WHS) Located on the frontier between Lisbon and Madrid, it was fortified between the 17th and 19th centuries with the largest bulwark dry ditch system in the world. Peripheral fortresses were built on the surrounding hills.
Water was supplied by the 7-km long Aqueduct of Amoreira, a key element to withstand a long siege. The peripheral forts of Santa Luzia (a covered walkway connecting it to the Historical Centre) and Graça and the fortlets of São Mamede, São Pedro, and São Domingos formed an irregular polygon using the landscape of surrounding hills. Completed in 1641-68, they were part of the twelve forts with battered bulwarks surrounded by a dry ditch and several ravelins as in the worldwide Dutch school of fortification.
Military Museum. Sitting at the far east end of the town, the walls overlook a panoramic area. Military museums get very boring – lots of cannon, guns, swords, maps, and uniforms looking for somewhere to store them. 3€
Museum of Contemporary Arts. The building is spectacular – all marble – old staircases and ornamentation and new marble on the lower walls, the rooms long arched ceilings, wood floors, and lovely lighting. The exhibit is depressingly contemporary, all by one artist – cans of paint, his artist’s jacket, a low brick wall, a section of floor tile, a scaffold covered with his “junk” and some new age stuff that barely fills a corner of each gallery. It was a fast 5 minutes to see. Free (thank god you don’t have to pay for this crap).

Bulwarked Fortifications of the “Raia” (Border).

Extending from the mouth of river Minho in the North, to the mouth of river Guadiana in the south, a part of the current Portuguese/Spanish border dates to the ancient County of Portugal. From the Treaty of Zamora (1143), the birth of Portugal, to the “Reconquista” that culminated in the Treaty of Badajoz (1267), which gave the Algarve to Portugal, and the Treaty of Alcanizes (1297), a separation line was established that rarely changed for more than 700 years.
For geomorphological, strategic, and economic reasons, a contact strip has always existed between both sides, a “no man’s land” that, acted as a “buffer zone”, mitigating any tensions. This is the 1300kms of “A RAIA”, in Portuguese, or “LA RAYA”, in Spanish, with urban areas around fortified urban pairs at the most important natural passageways. Walls were replaced or reinforced to adapt to the “new art of war”.
During the reign of D. João III in 1561-62, the first map was produced showing them. The bulwarked fortifications of the raia created opposing pairs: Almeida-Ciudad Rodrigo, Elvas-Badajoz, Marvão-Valencia de Alcántara, Valença-Tui make up the World Heritage Site.
In the 17th and 18th century European military architecture developed bulwarked systems developed by Italian, Dutch, French, Swedish, and Knights Hospitaller engineers. The double ravelin is the most elaborated Vauban-like advanced work – a ravelin and demilune with intermediary ditches interconnected via a drawbridge.
Stronghold of Almeida is a fortress-town in a star shape with the most complete and well preserved 6 bulwarks, 6 ravelins, and double gates (São Francisco and Santo António) surrounded by a covered walkway and ditches. More than 100 cannons, mortar platforms, and underground magazines completed the structures. Almeida has the ruins of the late 13th century Medieval Castle, the enormous 18th-century barracks (one currently serves as the Town Hall), and the Church of the Misericórdia (17th century).
Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications: Located on the frontier between Lisbon and Madrid, it was fortified between the 17th and 19th centuries with the largest bulwark dry ditch system in the world. Peripheral fortresses were built on the surrounding hills.
Water was supplied by the 7-km long Aqueduct of Amoreira, a key element to withstand a long siege. The peripheral forts of Santa Luzia (a covered walkway connecting it to the Historical Centre) and Graça and the fortlets of São Mamede, São Pedro, and São Domingos formed an irregular polygon using the landscape of surrounding hills. Completed in 1641-68, they were part of the twelve forts with battered bulwarks surrounded by a dry ditch and several ravelins as in the worldwide Dutch school of fortification.
Fortress of Marvão protected the second most important penetration route from Valencia de Alcántara from a high and almost inaccessible boulder 13 km from the border. The Castle sits on the highest area and is composed of two interconnected enclosures built on a Moorish model, the albacar and the alcázar. It has four round towers and the Great Cistern. The Fortress was dismantled in the 19th century.
Fortress of Valença: Facing the Spanish town of Tui on a hill overlooking the river Minho, Valenca controlled the road between the North of Portugal and Galicia. A double enclosure enclosing 50 Ha has 224 buildings in 32 blocks including the Church of Colegiada/St. Stephens (1283), the Mother Church/Saint Mary of the Angels (1217) and some buildings with great architectural and historical value, the Casa do Eirdado (1448), the old Aljube (1728).
In the 20th century, it remains a lively, unique space crossed by thousands of pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela.
Elvas is an exceptional example of the combination of military and civilian components, which influenced its urbanism and its residents’ daily lives until today. Valença, located on the border, on the strategic crossing of the land and river roads connecting the north of Portugal to Galicia, was always a place of cross border relations, perfectly highlighted by the circumstance that, although belonging to the Portuguese crown, it was under Tui’s ecclesiastic administration until the 16th century.
More than for its monumentality, Valença is part of Portugal’s identity imagery, even of the Iberian Peninsula, mostly due to the immaterial dimension of the site on both historical, cultural, and economic levels.

The drive from Elvas to Portalegre traverses lovely rolling fields of pastures full of cows, cork trees, and umbrella pines. The road is flat, straight, and generally narrow, made scary as hell by all the fast drivers and big trucks.

Montado Cultural Landscape Tentative WHS
The Montado is a cultural landscape shaped by human activity. Over the ages, mankind has been able to mold and sustain a multifunctional agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem located in the south of the Tagus Valley. These areas were originally occupied by Mediterranean woodlands and are now populated by cork oaks and holm oaks – legally protected species since the 7th century – which grow in extreme edaphic-climatic conditions and very poor soils.
Located in southern Europe, with a rich and wide variety of cultural influences, where the frontier between the Christian and Arab worlds was disputed for almost five centuries (up until the 13th century), the Montado has been influenced by a significant presence of military orders and a long period of feudal rule. Currently, it still preserves remnants from previous epochs, in an economy that is sustained by the worldwide expansion of industrial cork production.
The enormous biodiversity of the Montado system turns this area into a buffer zone against the advance of the ongoing global process of desertification. This has been possible through sustainable management of the balance between its arboreal, shrubby and herbaceous elements, based on the traditional knowledge and in the preservation of traditional forms of settlement.
The Montado Cultural Landscape is characterised by a multifunctional agro-silvo-pastoral system, defined by low-density tree population, consisting mainly of the Quercus species (Quercus suber and Quercus rotundifolia), as well as agricultural crops and pasture. With variations in the territory, this landscape is suitable for several uses, depending on the density of trees – cork oak and holm oak – that seek to adapt to the specific edaphoclimatic conditions, frequently dominated by skeletal soils with sparse organic matter and the Mediterranean, Continental or Atlantic climate influences.
The Montado system currently occupies, in the South of Portugal, an area of over 1 million hectares, covering a significant part of the Alentejo region, large areas of the Tagus Valley and of Beira Baixa interior, as well as and the mountain ranges of the Algarve (Serra Algarvia).
The cork oak forest zones are located in a territory of greater Atlantic influence, including a vast zone, predominantly along a SW – NE axis, extending between the municipalities of Alcácer do Sal and Grândola and the municipalities of Crato and Portalegre.
The main holm oak forest zone is primarily located further inland, with a Mediterranean climate and greater continental influence, accompanying the frontier zone and a significant part of the Southern Alentejo. Between the cork oak and holm oak forest zones (or associated to them) we find areas of mixed montado of cork oak and holm oak trees, and also of cork oaks mixed with other species, such as stone pine.
The Montado system is best adapted and adjusted to combat and control desertification in the Portuguese rural world. The existence of tree cover in pasture land (the so-called anthropogenic savannah) is of great importance for the production of fruits (acorns from the cork oak and holm oak trees) and foliage. The woody and herbaceous components produce significant effects in terms of the thermal system and soil water regulation and guarantee a high carbon capture capacity, making it possible to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The existence of the scrub layer favours other complementary activities such as the production of honey, medicinal and aromatic herbs, mushrooms, vegetable coal and hunting.
These characteristics are the foundations of the resilience and economic vitality of the Montado, highly connected to cork production, managed for this purpose since the first half of the twentieth century, and for free-range pig farming, two activities with a confirmed historical tradition – cork for its industrial production of worldwide importance and with a global market and pork as a protected and well-known brand.

Portalegre. (pop 25,000). A NM small town.
Marvão (pop 3,000) sits on the highest crest of the Serra de Sao Marmede. Access is only from the east and was defended mostly on the side during at least 5 sieges. The walls of  Marvao Castle are unforgettable and the town has nice architecture.
I was a little daunted when I finally saw where this town was (Google Maps gives no perspective of elevation change and I simply clicked the waypoint). I parked at the edge of the road with views at least 1,000 kms into Spain. The vague lights of towns far into the distance are more visible at night because of the haze. It was lovely sleeping here with a cool wind all night.
Serra de São Mamede Nature Park. In the Serra de São Mamede range, that rises from the Alentejo region of Portugal, which has a strongly Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters. At higher elevations, and particularly on slopes with northern aspects, the climate becomes cooler and wetter transitioning into a Warm-summer Mediterranean climate. The park’s variations in topography support plants from regions of Portugal with both the Mediterranean and oceanic climates. Over 800 species of plants are found within the natural park. There are extensive areas of cork oak and Pyrenean oak. Holm oak is found on xeric sites. Sweet chestnut grows at higher elevations. There are also large areas of olive, maritime pine, and Eucalyptus plantations.
Within the area, one can find the European otter, Cabrera’s vole, and, mainly in the north, the Iberian lynx. The Iberian wolf also lives in the area in small numbers.
Castelo de Vide. A NM small town

Almourol Castle. Built-in 1171 by the Knights Templar as part of the defense system of Tomar, it was passed onto the Order of Christ as a prosperous concession until 1834.
Sitting on a small island in the middle of the Tagus River, walking up by crossing the tiny stream is not allowed. There is a boat (4E including admission) with a boat that takes a minute but then waits while that group sees the castle before returning. The castle is very well preserved with high walls and a keep but not much to see.

TOMAR
Convent of Christ WHS. (Tomar Castle) is a former Catholic convent in Tomar, Portugal. Originally a 12th-century Templar stronghold, when the order was dissolved in the 14th century the Portuguese branch was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, that later supported Portugal’s maritime discoveries of the 15th century. The convent and castle complex is a historic and cultural monument and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
The convent was founded by the Order of Poor Knights of the Temple (or Templar Knights) in 1118. Its construction continued until the final part of the 12th century. Around 1190 it was encircled and resisted the armies of Caliph Abu Yusuf al-Mansur who was successful in taking strongholds in the south. The castle became an integral part of the defense system created by the Templars to secure the border of the young Christian Kingdom against the Moors, which at the time occupied the area to approximately the Tagus River. But, following the dissolution of the Templar Order, on 14 March 1319, and following the request of King Denis of Portugal, Pope John XXII instituted the Order of Christ. The seat of the former Knights Templar was converted in 1357 into the seat of this new order.
The famous round church (rotunda) of the castle of Tomar was also built in the second half of the 12th century. The church, like some other templar churches throughout Europe, was modeled after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which was believed by the crusaders to be a remnant of the Temple of Solomon. Order of Christ.
During the internship of Prince Henry, the Navigator as its leader (1417–1450), the Order of Christ initiated the construction of two cloisters under the direction of master Fernão Gonçalves: the Claustro do Cemitério (Cemetery Cloister) and Claustro das Lavagens (Washing Cloister).^[1] Prior to these large works, Henry began work on constructing the Chapel of São Jorge sometime in 1426 and was responsible for urban improvements in the town of Tomar.
The castle and Convent of Christ have examples of Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architectural styles.

Inside, the round church has a central, octagonal structure, connected by arches to a surrounding gallery (ambulatory). The pillars of the central octagon and the walls of the ambulatory have polychrome statues of saints and angels under exuberant Gothic canopies, while the walls and ceilings of the ambulatory are painted with Gothic patterns and panels depicting the life of Christ.
During the administration of Prince Henry the Navigator (first half of the 15th century), a gothic nave was added to the round church of the Convent, thus turning the round church into a church apse.
The Convent of Christ has a total of eight cloisters, built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some examples:
Matches Museum. The life collection of one man contains an overwhelming 80,000 matchbooks from 127 countries. They are arranged by date 1827-95, 1895-1910, and 1910 to the present. It is hard to pick a favourite. Free

FATIMA (pop 12,000) is a city in the municipality of Ourém, in the Central Region of Portugal. The civil parish has been permanently associated with the Marian apparitions that were purportedly witnessed by three local shepherd children at the Cova da Iria in 1917. The Catholic Church later recognized these events as “worthy of belief”. A small chapel was built at the site of the apparition, now known as Our Lady of Fátima, beginning in 1918, and a statue of her was installed. The chapel and statue have since been enclosed within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, a shrine complex containing two minor basilicas. Associated facilities for pilgrims, including a hotel and medical centre, have also been built over the decades within and around the Sanctuary. The city has become an important international destination for religious tourists, receiving between 6 and 8 million pilgrims yearly.
The name of the town and parish is a rendition of the Arabic given name Fátima (فاطمة‎ Fāṭimah). (Fatimah is the namesake of Fatimah bint Muhammad, the daughter of the prophet of Islam Muhammad.)
Fátima was said to be the name of a Moorish princess kidnapped by a knight, Gonçalo Hermigues, and his companions. Hermigues took her to a small village in the Serra de Aire hills, in the recently created Kingdom of Portugal. According to the Western Catholic narrative, Fatima fell in love with her kidnapper and decided to convert to Christianity in order to marry him. She was baptized and given a Christian name, Oureana. Arab sources, however, claim that Fátima was forced into Christianity, as were most Reconquista captives. There is no documentary evidence to support either scenario of such a conversion. Whatever version is true, the place name recalls the Princess’ original Arab name rather than her Christian baptismal one.
The parish was founded in 1568, when it was annexed by the Collegiate of Ourém (Portuguese: Colegiada de Ourém). For centuries, most of the villagers kept herds of sheep and depended also on subsistence farming.
Since the 18th century, Fátima has been associated with events related to Marian apparitions. The first supposed apparition dates back to the mid 18th century in Ortiga, now a quarter of Fátima, when, according to popular belief, Virgin Mary purportedly appeared to a young mute shepherdess and asked for one of her sheep, causing the girl to speak in response. This event supposedly incited the creation of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ortiga in 1758, which, in 1801, prompted Pope Pius VII to grant an indulgence to all pilgrims visiting the Marian shrine.
Later in the early 20th century, a similar event took place in which three local children, Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, purportedly saw visions of a woman known as Our Lady of Fátima, since believed by the Catholic Church to be the Virgin Mary. On 13 May 1917, whilst guarding their families’ sheep in the Cova da Iria, the children first claimed to have seen an apparition of a “lady dressed in white” and shining with a bright light. The children claimed to have seen the Marian apparition on six occasions; they said the last would be 13 October 1917. An estimated 70,000 pilgrims went to the site for the last prophesied apparition in October. Some of them reported what has been referred to as the Miracle of the Sun when some observers reported it appeared to be behaving unusually.
The local bishop investigated the events and determined that the apparitions were worthy of belief. The site was marked by a cross erected by locals. In 1918 they built a small chapel, built from rock and limestone and covered in tile. The chapel has since been enclosed within a large basilica and sanctuary, part of a complex including a hotel and other facilities. In 1930, the statue of Our Lady in the Chapel of Apparitions was crowned by the Vatican.
Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta in 1920, during the international Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia dos Santos became a nun and lived until 2005. The two who died young were beatified on 13 May 2000 by Pope John Paul II, and were canonized by Pope Francis on 13 May 2017, the hundredth anniversary of the first apparition. The construction of the sanctuary and the steady visits by pilgrims stimulated local development. In addition to construction of a large shrine, basilica, and sanctuary, the complex includes a hotel and other facilities.
The economy of the town relies on religious tourism because the world devotion through Our Lady of Fátima attracts millions of Christian pilgrims. The locals have numerous shops and stalls devoted to the sale of religious articles and souvenirs. In addition, services for tourists, hotels, restaurants, and other retailers also benefit from the visitors. Other economic activities in the region include marble sculpturing, saw-milling, carpentry, civil construction, commerce, and services.
Papal visits: May 1967 – Pope Paul VI, May 1982 – Pope John Paul II (1st visit), May 1991 – Pope John Paul II (2nd visit), May 2000 – Pope John Paul II (3rd visit), May 2010 – Pope Benedict XVI, May 2017 – Pope Francis.
Architecture:
Basilica of the Holy Trinity on the far side of the sanctuary’s esplanade is the basilica, a neo-classical structure with a central tower 65 meters (213 ft) high, which was begun on 13 May 1928. It is flanked by colonnades linking it with the extensive convent and hospital buildings. Within the basilica are the tombs of the three witnesses to the apparitions: Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Lúcia dos Santos.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, one of the largest churches in the world, was built on the other side of the esplanade in the early 21st century.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima, in Cova da Iria, is the principal focus of all visitors. Annually, at least five million Catholic pilgrims fill the country roads leading to the Marian shrine. Numbers can reach hundreds of thousands on 13 May and 13 October, the most significant dates of the apparitions in Fátima.
Interactive Museum of the Miracle of Fatima (Museu Interactivo “O Milagre de Fátima)