The Sanctuary of Fátima annually welcomes hundred of thousands of pilgrims and tourists. Many come to participate in the celebrations that commemorate the apparitions of Our Lady to the three witness of Fátima. In the Fátima calendar, the dates May 13th (the first apparition) and October 13th mean a rise in the numbers visiting the Sanctuary – built on the site of the first apparition – and the places where the three children lived in Aljustrel, a village located around two kilometres away. In Aljustrel, there is a religious route tracing the spots where Lúcia de Jesus, aged 10, and cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged nine and seven respectively, declared they saw the Angel of Our Lady of Fátima.

The three shepherd children to whom Our Lady appeared – Lúcia and her cousins, Francisco and Jacinta – were born in the small village of Aljustrel, around 2 kms from the sanctuary of Fátima. The single-storey cottages formerly inhabited by the little shepherds are very similar in terms of architecture and simplicity and are open to the general public. The house inhabited by the brother and sister, Jacinta and Francisco was built in 1888 and is located around 200 m from the house of their cousin, Lúcia, built in 1885. The House-Museum of Aljustrel is located next to the latter, displaying agricultural implements, cooking utensils, clothes and furniture, in order to demonstrate the everyday lives of local mountain dwellers in the early 20th century.

The development of Tomar is closely linked to the Order of the Templars, which received these lands in 1159 as a reward for the assistance they gave Dom Afonso Henriques (the First King of Portugal) in the Christian reconquest of the territory. It was Dom Gualdim Pais, the first Grand Master of the Order in Portugal, who founded the castle and the remarkable Convent of Christ inside. Enlarged and altered over the centuries, this retains the influences of various architectural styles; it is the centrepiece of the city and classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

In 1983, UNESCO awarded the classification of world heritage to the Templar Castle and the Convent of the Knights of Christ in Tomar, a unique monument in the history of the western world. Built on a site that was originally used for Roman worship, this vast monumental complex illustrates seven centuries of Portugal’s history and contains several important mementoes of decisive moments in the history of the western world.

Located in the centre of Tomar alongside one of the city’s main avenues, the 39-hectare “Mata dos Sete Montes” National Woodland is the city’s main park. The woodlands provide a link to the castle. They are also known as the Convent Enclosure since they form an integral part of the convent and were used by the Order of Christ for growing and harvesting crops. The wood’s leafy vegetation includes centuries-old cypress trees, Judas trees, oak trees and olive trees, and harbour a miniature church in the form of a cylindrical tower known as the “Charolinha”. This carved stone church appears to be a replica of the lantern towers of the Convent of Christ, built in accordance with plans drawn up by João de Castilho – the architect entrusted with the Renaissance works in the convent. Surrounded by a circular tank, the Charolinha is a “Casa de Fresco”. It seems to be isolated from the world, a secret hidden retreat accessible via a stone bridge.