The Sanctuary of Fátima is one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world, built around the site where three shepherd children reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. The complex centres on a vast esplanade deliberately designed to be larger than St. Peter's Square in Rome — it needs the space. On the main pilgrimage dates, 13 May and 13 October, hundreds of thousands of people fill the plaza, many completing the last stretch on their knees.
The centrepiece of the esplanade is the Chapel of the Apparitions, a small canopied structure marking the exact spot where the visions occurred. It stands on the site of a holm oak tree; the original tree was torn apart by devotees taking relics in the weeks after the apparitions. Inside, a statue of Our Lady of Fátima occupies the place where the children said they saw the figure. Candles burn continuously, and the atmosphere — even for secular visitors — is quietly intense.