Pilgrims Route

Pilgrim's Route

Our travel proposal is destined to Fatima and the surrounding region. It is one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Catholic world. The tour includes a visit to the Sanctuary, then a visit to the village of Valinhos / Aljustrel to visit the village where the seers were born and visit the houses where they lived that remain intact as they were at the time.

On the way back we will stop in the city of Ourém for a visit to one of the most beautiful castles in Portugal.

Built in the XV Century, the Castle of Ourém, It had great strategic importance under the command of D. Afonso IV, Duke of Ourém. This magnificent Gothic fortress was partially destroyed after the earthquake of 1755, but still preserves much of its beauty.

About places to visit

Fatima is a village of remote origins, it was the Arabian domain that marked the development of the place and gave it its name. According to legend, during the Christian Reconquest the templar knight Gonçalo Hermingues, known as Destroy-Moors, fell in love with Fatima, a Moorish captive during an ambush. Corresponding to the love, the young person was converted to the Christianity taking the name of Oureana. The locality developed considerably from the event of the Apparitions of Fatima, at the beginning of the century. XX, becoming one of the greatest centers of the Marian cult in Portugal, recognized worldwide by the Catholic Church.

Related to the cult of the Lady of Fatima, one can visit the houses where the seer shepherds lived, in the village of Aljustrel. In the backyard of the House of Lúcia, a monument marks the 2nd apparition of the Angel of Peace and the end of the Via Sacra, begun in the Sanctuary.

The house that was of the visionaries of Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, preserves the characteristics of the traditional dwelling of the region. In an area where the limestone rock abounds, the house is built of stone. Inside, you can see the way the space is divided, the small dimensions and still the original furniture.

The Castle of Ourém is one of the most innovative works of military architecture of the century XV in Portugal. The castle has been built by Count of Ourém, grandson of D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, and has a compact structure with modern active defense systems, including two large pentagonal towers that act as bastions and offer greater resistance to the bombardment.

Behind the towers is located palatial zone residence of the Counts.

At the top of the hill, facing the palace and the castle, stands the primitive castle of "Abdegas", the ancient name of this town, whose construction dates back to the XII century.