Fátima-Óbidos

Its worldwide fame is due to the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary by three young shepherds from May 13th to October 13th, 1917.

At an ecclesiastical level, the city of Fatima is the seat of the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. The name of this diocese was given by Pope John Paul II on May 13th, 1984. The only parish in the city is dedicated to Our Lady of Pleasures. The parish of Serra, as it was originally known, was separated from the Collegiate Church of Ourém in 1568.

Due to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, located in the Cova da Iria, the city has become one of the most important international destinations for religious tourism, receiving approximately six million visitors per year.

The Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, better known as the Batalha Monastery, is an ancient Dominican monastery located in the town of Batalha, in the district of Leiria, in the Center region, province of Beira Litoral, in Portugal.

It was ordered to be built in 1386 by King John I of Portugal as a thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for the victory against the Castilian rivals in the battle of Aljubarrota. This monastery of the Order of Saint Dominic was built over two centuries until about 1563, during the reign of seven kings of Portugal, although the first Dominican friars had already lived there since 1388.

An example of late Portuguese Gothic architecture, or Manueline style, it is considered a world heritage site by UNESCO, and on July 7, 2007, it was elected as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.

Since 2016, it has had the status of National Pantheon.

The municipality and parish were named "Pederneira" until 1912, when the toponym was changed to "Nazaré" by law. The former municipality of Pederneira was granted a charter in 1514 by King Manuel I, and was part of the coutos of Alcobaça.

Pederneira, now one of the neighborhoods of the town of Nazaré, still has the building of the former Town Hall, the pillory, the Mother Church of Our Lady of Sands, and the Mercy Church, as evidence of its former status as the seat of a municipality.

The giant waves of Nazaré (at Praia do Norte) have gained worldwide fame and are already inscribed in the Guinness Book of Records for surfing.

The toponym "Nazaré" is intimately linked to the Legend of Our Lady of Nazaré.

Throughout the 20th century, Nazaré gradually evolved from a fishing village to a tourist town, becoming one of the first international tourist attractions in Portugal. The tourism industry is now one of the main employers in the town.

It is part of Nazarene tradition for women to wear seven skirts. The explanation is not consensual, but is intimately linked to the fishing trade: Nazarene women used to wait for their husbands and sons to return from fishing, sitting on the beach, spending hours in vigil. They wore several skirts to cover themselves, with the upper ones protecting their head and shoulders from the sea spray and the rest covering their legs.

The seven skirts of the women and the black flannel shirt and cap of the men attracted names such as Lino António, Jorge Barradas, Stanley Kubrick, and Cartier-Bresson during the 1950s and 1960s, who documented the daily life of the people of Nazaré through painting and photography.

It is now impossible to talk about Nazaré without mentioning the world record for the largest wave ever surfed, at 30 meters, set by Garrett McNamara at Praia do Norte in November 2011.

Due to the worldwide projection of Nazaré's giant waves, the town has become the host of the largest international surfing championships, attracting many athletes of this sport, as well as thousands of curious visitors and tourists who come to admire their courageous demonstrations.

It was taken from the Moors in 1148 and received its first charter in 1195, during the reign of King D. Sancho I. Óbidos was part of the dowry of numerous queens of Portugal, including D. Urraca of Castile (wife of D. Afonso II), Queen Santa Isabel (wife of D. Dinis), D. Filipa de Lencastre (wife of D. João I), D. Leonor of Aragon (wife of D. Duarte), D. Leonor of Avis (wife of D. João II), among others.

In 1527, there were 161 inhabitants in the village, which would correspond to about 1/10 of the population of the municipality.

It was from Óbidos that the municipality of Caldas da Rainha was born, previously called Caldas de Óbidos (the change in the determinative was due to the seasons that Queen D. Leonor spent there).

On February 16, 2007, the castle of Óbidos received the diploma of candidate as one of the seven wonders of Portugal.

In 2015, the walls of the village of Óbidos were integrated into the project "Maravilhas de Portugal", an initiative of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and the multinational Google that allows you to see in detail, on a 360-degree visit, 57 monuments available online from Google or Google Maps pages.

Óbidos already habituates visitors to its transformation during Christmas time. In recent years, the well-known village becomes the "Vila Natal," a mystical place that enchants both children and adults with the beauty and fun it provides. In addition to "Vila Natal," Óbidos has other events such as the Medieval Fair, where the castle returns to its medieval origins, and where you can experience what it was like to live in that era. The Chocolate Festival is also an event that arouses great interest among tourists; at this festival, you can see life-sized chocolate sculptures, children can participate in workshops and make their own chocolates.