Our hotel, the Hotel Fátima could not be any closer to the site where the Miracle of Fátima occurred. In fact, I could hear the priest chanting and the organ playing from my hotel room.

We arrived in late afternoon and Pedro, our guide, quickly gave us an overview of the site, when I took these pictures. The square is larger than St. Peter’s in Rome, and can fit half a million people. On one end of the square is a traditional basilica, and there are a complex of contemporary chapels both underground and above ground. This place is HUGE!

So, what is the miracle of Fátima? I would refer you to “What happened at the miracle of Fátima” for a complete description.

The story of the Our Lady of Fátima miracle begins on May 13, 1917. Three peasant children, Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia were tending to their family’s sheep. The children under 10 years old were blessed with the presence of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. In Portugal, she is also known as Fátima. The children saw this beautiful woman, dressed in white and standing above a bush. The Virgin Mary told the children that world peace would occur if they spread the godly message of prayer.… She visited the young children on the 13th for the next six months. The Virgin Mary tells the children that she will be visiting on the 13th of each month for 6 months. She tells the children they will need to commit sacrifices and suffer, but that they will end up in heaven. She tells the children to say the rosary prayer every day to bring about peace.

That’s why 8 million people visit this place where the three children saw the apparitions. Some people vow to crawl to Fátima on their knees, and there is a special long walkway where they do just that.

At 9:15 pm every night, the bells start ringing, followed by a service in the Chapel of the Apparition. Pilgrims start to gather, carrying candles. I was most surprised to see the large number of children, however, I’m not so sure many of them know what this place is all about. Some children in front of us had a candle in one hand, and were playing games on their phone in the other hand!

In the nearby stores, you can see wax copies of body parts, legs, heads, hearts, even women’s breasts. People buy these then burn them, perhaps if they have cancer of these particular body parts. I understand, though, that all the melted wax is retrieved and recycled into new candles.

What made the biggest impression on me, though, was the music. There was a cantor with a very pleasant voice, singing chant with simple organ accompaniment. It took me back to my days in Paris as a student of Marcel Dupré, and when I used to go to services at Saint-Sulpice. Simple chant with simple organ accompaniment.

On the 13th of May, and on the 13th of the months following through October, the crowds swell to huge numbers which you can see in the very recent video below. Unfortunately, we left about 10:15, not knowing how late the service would be and when the procession would start. But when I got back to my hotel room, I could still hear the singing and the chanting, because it is amplified.

I’ll be back here in October, and now that I know the timeline, I’ll stay for the procession. It starts at 9:30 pm and finishes at 10:45 pm.

This is a magical place!