Experience Portugal
Significant Feast Days
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Photo Credit: Renne Enriquez
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9-Day Itinerary
Day 1 Depart your city for Lisbon
Day 2 Begin your pilgrimage, go on a walking tour of the Lisbon city center including the birthplace of St. Anthony
Day 3 Visit the monastery and monuments of Belém, visit the statue of Christ the King and the Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Day 4 Depart Lisbon for Fatima, stop in Santarém to visit the Church of the Eucharistic Miracle, go on a walking tour of Fatima and
participate in the evening candlelight procession
Day 5 Spend a full day in Fatima, meditate on the Way of the Cross, enjoy free time for prayer and reflection, and participate in the
evening candlelight procession
Day 6 Take a day trip to the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça, visit the town of Nazaré, return to Fatima for a free evening
Day 7 Travel to Braga with a stop in Coimbra along the way, visit the tomb of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, the Carmelite Convent of Coimbra, and the shrines of Braga, arrive in Porto for the night
Day 8 Visit the beautiful churches of Porto and its Cathedral, return to Lisbon for the night
Day 9 Depart Lisbon for home
Mass will be celebrated daily within the itinerary.
Specific locations and events within the daily itinerary are subject to change depending on actual dates of travel.
Day 2 Begin your pilgrimage, go on a walking tour of the Lisbon city center including the birthplace of St. Anthony
Day 3 Visit the monastery and monuments of Belém, visit the statue of Christ the King and the Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Day 4 Depart Lisbon for Fatima, stop in Santarém to visit the Church of the Eucharistic Miracle, go on a walking tour of Fatima and
participate in the evening candlelight procession
Day 5 Spend a full day in Fatima, meditate on the Way of the Cross, enjoy free time for prayer and reflection, and participate in the
evening candlelight procession
Day 6 Take a day trip to the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça, visit the town of Nazaré, return to Fatima for a free evening
Day 7 Travel to Braga with a stop in Coimbra along the way, visit the tomb of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, the Carmelite Convent of Coimbra, and the shrines of Braga, arrive in Porto for the night
Day 8 Visit the beautiful churches of Porto and its Cathedral, return to Lisbon for the night
Day 9 Depart Lisbon for home
Mass will be celebrated daily within the itinerary.
Specific locations and events within the daily itinerary are subject to change depending on actual dates of travel.
About Portugal
The Church of St. Anthony of Lisbon is built over the birthplace of the well-known patron saint of lost things. While he may be known as St. Anthony of Padua by most Catholics, in Lisbon he is affectionately called by the name of his hometown. The crypt marks the location of St. Anthony's birth and contains his relics. Pope St. John Paul II prayed here during his visit to Portugal in 1982.
 Photo Credit: Aaron Davis
The Belém district of Lisbon is home to many significant monuments including the Jeronimos Monastery, Belém Tower, and the
Monument of the Discoveries (pictured here) celebrating the Portuguese Age of Exploration. Belém is also home to the famous, and delicious, traditional Portuguese pastry, Pastéis de Belem. |
The Sanctuary of Christ the King is a shrine to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that overlooks the city of Lisbon. It was inspired by the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and built to express the gratitude of the Portuguese people for being spared much destruction during World War II. Along with the statue, the sanctuary also contains a chapel for mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the stations of the cross, and beautifully landscaped grounds for personal prayer and reflection.
The Monastery of the Immaculate heart of Mary in Lisbon, formerly the orphanage of Our Lady of Miracles, is the location where Our Lady of Fatima visited St. Jacinta Marto in 1920 before her death at a nearby hospital.
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The Church of St. Stephen in Santarem, now often called the Sanctuary of the Most Holy (or Eucharistic) Miracle is home to a Eucharistic Miracle dating back to the 13th century. Pilgrims can venerate the relic of the Sacred Host enthroned above the main altar of the Church. Blessed Carlo Acutis visited this site when he was compiling his list of Eucharistic Miracles around the world.
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The Sanctuary of Fatima is Portugal's most important Marian site. It stands at the location of the Cova da Iria where the shepherd children of Fatima were pasturing their sheep when Our Lady appeared to them. The exact location of the apparitions is marked by the Chapel of Apparitions, and two basilicas border the cova on either end. Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto and Sister Lucia are buried inside the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
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Aljustrel, a small town on the outskirts of Fatima, is the hometown of the three shepherd children of Fatima. Here, pilgrims can visit the homes of the children, the Parish church of Fatima where they were baptized, Arneiro's Well and Loca do Anjo where the Angel appeared, and participate in the stations of the cross culminating at the Hungarian Calvary in Valinhos.
The Monastery of Batalha was built in thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for aiding Portugal in the Battle of Aljubarrota. In this decisive battle, St. Nuno of Portugal and the forces under his command, defeated the Castilians and ensured Portugal's independence for 200 years. This monastery is home to the tomb of two unknown soldiers from World War I and to the beautiful Unfinished Chapels.
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The Monastery of Alcobaça was founded in the 12th Century by the first king of Portugal, Alfonso Henriques. The beautiful Gothic building was once used by the Cistercian monks as a center for study, and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga is both a pilgrimage site and tourist destination. The Baroque stairway leading to the church at the top is broken up into two sections, one depicting the five senses, and the other depicting the three virtues on their fountains. Small chapels along the way and the high altar in the church depict life-size scenes from the Stations of the Cross.
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The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova in Coimbra was built in 1696 to house the Poor Clares whose old convent near the river was constantly flooded. A statue of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, known as St. Isabel in Portuguese, stands near the entrance, and her incorrupt body is housed in a silver tomb inside the monastery. This Portuguese saint is the great-niece of another famous Elizabeth, St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
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Clérigos Tower and Church, built in the 18th century, is an unmistakable landmark in the skyline of Porto. To reach the top, visitors must climb up 200 steps and pass 49 bells in the 249-feet tall bell tower.
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