The Shrine of Fatima, formally named by the Catholic Church as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, is a Marian shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, located on the site of the Cova da Iria, in the city of Fatima, Ourém, Portugal . The Sanctuary of Fátima is, par excellence, a place of Christian pilgrimage and Catholic devotion, preserving the memory of the events that led to its foundation, namely the apparitions of Our Lady to the three little shepherds - Lúcia dos Santos, Francisco and Jacinta Marto - in 1917 Its magnitude and relevance from the religious point of view has long been widely recognized nationally and internationally. By express will of the Holy Apostolic See, this is a National Shrine. It is also one of the most important Marian shrines in the world belonging to the Catholic Church and the largest international religious tourism destination, receiving around six million visitors a year. He was distinguished with three papal gold roses and visited by Popes Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1982, 1991 and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010) and Francisco (2017).