Mira de Aire Caves, Fátima, Batalha and Alcobaça
Begin at the Mira de Aire Caves with your Lisbon tour guide. These caves were discovered in 1947. The entrance stands at 300 m above sea level, while inside they reach a depth of 180 m. Their formation dates back 150 million years to the Middle Jurassic age, when dinosaurs populated this region. The caves are illuminated with coloured lights that emphasise the beauty of the stalagmite and stalactite formations.
Continue to Fátima, whose apparitions helped transform it from a local town into one of the largest centres of the Marian cult in the world.
Visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima. This Marian pilgrimage centre commemorates Our Lady's apparitions to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, which took place in 1917 and were recognised in 1930. The sanctuary includes the Basilica, the prayer square, the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Church of the Holy Trinity, and the pyre, where people burn candles while asking for blessings.
Move on to Batalha, built in 1386 to fulfil a vow made by Portuguese King Dom João I to the Virgin Mary, promising to build it if Portugal defeated Castile at the Battle of Aljubarrota on 14 August 1385.
Stop at Alcobaça, home to the Monastery, or Royal Abbey of Santa Maria, founded by the Cistercian Order in 1153. Construction began in 1178 on land donated by Dom Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, to the Order of Cistercians, in fulfilment of a vow made after the Christian reconquest of Santarém. Here, testify the magnificent gothic tombs of the two lovers, King Pedro and Ines de Castro.
