Our Lady of Fatima, Bala

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 15 Sep 2018

Our Lady of Fatima Church is the first church outside Portugal to be dedicated thus. It was the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary when she supposedly appeared to three shepherd children in the village of Fatima in 1917. The people of Fatima believed that the visitation occurred because they had remained faithful to the catholic Church despite government persecution. The building, situated in the town centre, was originally a stable dating to the early seventeenth century. It was converted to a church, which opened in 1948. The building is a simple domestic-type rendered single-storey building with rectangular windows. It is accessed via a tunnel through a shop and house fronting the High Street, and is positioned at right-angles to the front range. An oak statue of Our Lady of Fatima stands within a small shrine built as an extension to the church. It was carved by the Portuguese sculptor who also made one for the Fatima Basilica. Coflein: https://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/96485/details/our-lady-of-fatima-catholic-church-bala Church website: https://ourladyoffatimabala.yolasite.com/ Image

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