This Marian pilgrimage center evokes the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherds Lúcia, Francisco and Jacinta, which occurred in 1917 and recognized in 1930. The place was a rural property, called Cova da Iria, and belonged to Lúcia's parents, who donated it to the sanctuary. It was here that five of the six apparitions took place.

The Sanctuary includes the Chapel of the Apparitions, the Basilica of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, the Prayer Area and the Basilica of the Holy Trinity. They complement the Sanctuary, the Nossa Senhora das Dores and Nossa Senhora do Carmo Retreat Houses and the Paulo VI Pastoral Center.

The Basilica of Nossa Senhora do Rosário was built according to a project by the Dutchman Gerardus van Krieken and continued by the architect João Antunes. The first stone was blessed on May 13, 1928 and the church dedicated to October 7, 1953. The following year, it was granted the title of Basilica, by Pope Pius XII.

The architectural and decorative style is very simple. Inside, there are 14 side altars dedicated to the mysteries of the Rosary. The stained glass and paintings that decorate the church are by João de Sousa Araújo they date from 1967 and represent scenes depicting the life of Our Lady, the Apparitions and the Message of Fatima. Those in the chancel, representing the Evangelists, the Apparition of the Angel and scenes from Pilgrimage were created by the Madrid society Maumejean y Hijos.

On the right side of the transept, that of the Gospel, there is the tomb of Francisco, who died in 1919. On the left side, that of the Epistle, there is the tomb of Jacinta, who died in 1920; beside her is the tomb of Sister Lúcia, who died in 2005. Francisco and Jacinta Marto were canonized in the Shrine of Fátima, on May 13, 2017, in the International Anniversary Pilgrimage of the Centenary of the Apparitions, presided over by Pope Francis

Also noteworthy is the Italian manufacturing body, dating from 1952, consisting of 152 registers and about 12,000 tubes.

It is one of the most important Marian shrines belonging to the Catholic Church in the world and one of the main international destinations for religious tourism, receiving about six million visitors a year. He was visited by Popes Paul VI (1967), John Paul II (1982, 1991 and 2000), Benedict XVI (2010) and Francisco (2017). The annual pilgrimages are celebrated on the 13th, from May to October.