Cova da Iria

Cova da Iria ("Irene's Cove") was a field belonging to the family of Lúcia Santos in Fatima, Portugal. Lucia was one of the three visionary children who, according to Roman Catholic Church, received several visitations and messages by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The Children used to frequently pasture their sheep on this land, and it was on May 13, 1917, around noon, that Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the three of them. The story goes that suddenly there was lightning, and the children, Lúcia Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto, thinking that it was going to rain, began to run. Then, just above an oak tree, they saw a beautiful lady made of light, holding a rosary in her hand. Our Lady of Fatima spoke to the children and told them not to be afraid. "I come from Heaven", she said.