This neighborhood is considered a high income area of the city as it hosts numerous attractions, convents, hotels, and pilgrims’ hostels, and other tourist facilities. It is near the Aljustrel and Valinhos, two sites also associated with the visions.
The children frequently pastured their families' sheep on this land, and were responsible for their care. According to Sister Lúcia's memoirs written between 1935 and 1941, she and her cousins were at the Cova da Iria when they saw an apparition of a beautiful lady “made of light, holding a rosary in her hand”. She seemed to stand just above a small holm oak tree, and heard her tell them not to be afraid, adding “I come from Heaven”. Sister Lúcia wrote they saw her a total of six times, the last on October 13, 1917, when the Miracle of the Sun allegedly occurred. The children heard her call herself “Our Lady of the Rosary” telling them to pray the Rosary for the end of the Great War.[citation needed]
Since the Holy See officially approved of the Fátima events and the messages given to the three shepherd children, the place has become a popular pilgrimage site. The chapel has been expanded, and nearby are two minor basilicas in the Sanctuary of Fátima complex that covers the Cova da Iria. Also on the grounds are luxurious hotels, convents, and some medical facilities. The Cova da Iria has thus become a key international hub for religious tourism, receiving six to eight million pilgrims by year.[3][4]