Fátima, internationally famous as a place of pilgrimage, is in central Portugal a good 20km/12mi southeast of Leiria and on what was once the barren plateau of Cova da Iria. Every year it attracts thousands of believers from far and wide to beseech forgiveness for their sins or pray for a cure. Fátima also figures in every organized excursion or coach tour of this part of Portugal.
A short distance east of the esplanade stands the Museum of Sacred Art and Ethnology. It tells the story of the Redemption by means of pictures, crucifixes, cribs and other exhibits. The ethnological department concerns itself with those cultures which influenced the Gospels.
West of the esplanade is a wax museum, the Museu de Cera de Fátima, opened in 1984 and depicting the miraculous events at Fátima in a series of 29 scenes.
Hours:
April 1 to October 31: 9:30am-6:30pm
November 1 to March 31: 10am-5pm
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
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Esplanade, Fatima
Fatima, Leiria
