Page 183 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

Neo­Baroque limestone
basilica, flanked by statues of
Did You Know? saints, has a huge tower and
an espla nade twice the size of EAT
The Marquês de St Peter’s Square in Rome.
Pombal was banished On 12 and 13 of May and
to Pombal from October, vast crowds of pil­ Tromba Rija
Lisbon in 1777 by grims arrive to commemorate A homely restaurant
Queen Maria. appear ances of the Virgin to with a generous starter
three shepherd children (the buffet that gives the
three pastorinhos). On 13 May chance to sample
1917, 10­year­old Lucia Santos Portuguese delicacies.
14 and her young cousins, Jacinta ! D4 ⌂ Rua Professores
Portela 22, Leiria
and Francisco Marto, saw a
Pombal shining figure in a holm oak ¢ Mon & Sun D
tree. The apparition ordered ∑ trobarija.com
! D3 £ @ n Rua do the child ren to return to the
Castelo; 236 210 556 ¡¡¡
tree on the same day for six
This small town of white­ months and by 13 October, Tia Alice
washed houses is overlooked 70,000 pilgrims were with the
by the stately castle, founded children by the tree. Only Chef Tia Alice creates
in 1161 by the Knights Templar Lucia heard the “Secret of exquisite regional
(p176). The town is closely Fátima”, spoken on her last dishes at this simple
associated with the Marquês appea rance. The first part rustic restaurant.
de Pombal (p45). In Praça of the secret was a vision ! D4 ⌂ Rua do Adro 152,
Marquês de Pombal, the of hell; the second was of a Fátima § 249 531 737
old prison and the celeiro war more devastating than ¢ Mon & Sun D
(granary) are adorned with World War I. The third part, a ¡¡¡
the Pombal family crest. The vision of papal assassin ation,
Museu Marquês de Pombal was finally revealed by Pope
features a collec tion of John Paul II on the occasion
documents and artworks of the millennium. The Pope
focusing on the Marquis. beatified Jacinta and Francisco 16
in 2000. Their tombs are inside
the basilica. Lucia became a Ourém
15 nun, and died in 2005. ! D4 ⌂ 10 km (6 miles)
Stained­glass windows
Fátima show scenes of the sightings. northeast of Fátima
In the esplanade, the Capela The medieval town of Ourém
! D4 @ n Avenida Dom
José Alves Correia da Silva; das Aparições marks the site is a walled citadel, dominated
of the appari tion. But for
by the 15th­century castle
www.turismodocentro.pt
many the best sight is the of Ourém, built by Afonso,
The sanctuary of Fátima is a emotion and faith of the grandson of Nuno Álvares
pilgrim des tin ation on a par penitents who approach Pereira (p173). His magnificent
with Lourdes in France. The the shrine on their knees. tomb is in the 15th­century
Wax limbs are burned as Igreja Matriz. The town’s name
offerings for miracles is said to derive from Oureana,
Fátima's basilica, per formed by the Virgin a Moorish girl who, before she
with its lovely and candles light the fell in love with a Christian
stained-glass espla nade during the knight and converted, was
windows (inset) night­time Masses. called Fátima.

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