Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1509, Duarte's grandson, King Manuel I, added the elaborately decorated
doorway
(by Mateus Fernandes), a masterpiece of the Manueline style. The series of ever larger
arches that frame the door are carved in stone so detailed that they look like stucco. See
carved coils of rope with knots, some snails along the bottom, artichokes (used to fend off
scurvy), corn (from American discoveries), and Indian-inspired motifs (from the land of
pepper). Contrast the doorway's Manueline ornamentation with the Renaissance simpli-
city of the upper-floor balcony, done in 1533.
Manuel abandoned the chapel after Vasco da Gama's triumphant return from India,
channeling Portugal's money and energy instead to building a monument to the Age of
Discovery launched by the Avis family—the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém (where both
Manuel and, some believe, da Gama are buried).
From Batalha by Bus to: Nazaré
(5/day, 1 hour, some change at São Jorge),
Alcobaça
(8/day, 30 minutes),
Fátima
(3/day, 1 hour),
Coimbra
(3/day, 1 hour),
Porto
(4/day, 3
hours), and
Lisbon
(4/day, 2 hours). Expect fewer buses on weekends. The café across
the street from the Batalha bus stop sells bus tickets (not sold by drivers).
ByCar:
Batalha is an easy 10-mile drive from Fátima. You'll see signs from each site
to the other.
On May 13, 1917, three children were tending sheep when the sky lit up and a wo-
man—Mary, the mother of Christ, “a lady brighter than the sun”—appeared standing in
an oak tree. (It's the tree to the left of the large basilica.) In the midst of bloody World War
I, she brought a message that peace was coming. The war raged on, so on the 13th day of
each of the next five months, Mary dropped in again to call for peace and to repeat three
messages. Word spread, bringing many curious pilgrims. The three kids—Lucia, Fran-
cisco, and Jacinta—were grilled mercilessly by authorities trying to debunk their prepos-
terous visions, but the children remained convinced of what they'd seen.
Finally, on October 13, 70,000 people assembled near the oak tree. They were
drenched in a rainstorm when suddenly, the sun came out, grew blindingly bright, danced
around the sky (writing “God's fiery signature”), then plunged to the earth. When the
crowd came to its senses, the sun was shining and the rain had dried.
In 1930, the Vatican recognized the Virgin of Fátima as legit. And today, tens of thou-
sands of believers come to rejoice in this modern miracle. Many walk from as far away
as Lisbon. Depending on the time of year you visit, you may see scores of pilgrims with
