It is located near the entrance to the Sanctuary of Fátima, Rua de Santa Isabel, parish and city of Fátima, central Portugal
The Tocheiro das Velas or Sala das Velas is close to the entrance to the Sanctuary of Fátima, Rua de Santa Isabel, parish and city of Fátima, central Portugal.
At the local torchlight, the placing of candles where pilgrims make their promises is an obligatory passage for millions of faithful and is almost as old as the “apparitions” of 1917.
In the Sanctuary of Fátima, since the beginning, pilgrims have left candles in places they consider sacred. Documentary proof of the use of candles dates back to 1920, when the image of Our Lord comes to the Chapel of Apparitions, there is already a report of candles around the image.
The torch holder located next to the Chapel of Apparitions is an obligatory place for millions of faithful who make the pilgrimage to the sanctuary, where they leave candles, but also the most diverse wax figures representing children, adults or organs of the human body.
On the weekends of Fátima's “high season” between May and October, several tons of wax were burned in the torch, as an example on May 13, 2014, on the occasion of the International Anniversary Pilgrimage, almost 21 tons of wax were burned in that place in less than 24 hours.
The tocheiro is the place where the person who cannot continue in Fátima makes a pilgrimage and who must leave their candle so that it burns and consumes itself, because it is a place of passage for pilgrims.
The act of leaving candles for pilgrims is a deeper and theological connection that is related to the baptism candle which is a symbol of life, but it is also letting a little of this sacred place remain close to our hearts wherever we are, as the Virgin of Fátima watches over us.
Every day there are hundreds of people who arrive at Cova da Iria to thank Our Lady of Fátima's intervention in their lives, many finishing a long journey there: whether physical, for the kilometers covered on pilgrimage, or psychological or for the problems overcome.
A very popular place where all those who promised to light a candle to Our Lady of Fátima meet, the candles are passed from hand to hand, looking for someone else's fire, and in the most different shapes, and tons of wax that are burned there every year in the name of faith.
The use of candles is a very old custom in the Church, since its beginnings it has been done as a way of honoring and praising God.
The candle carries with it the light of the fire, which illuminates, chasing away the darkness, and therefore it symbolizes our faith in the Lord who illuminates our life and makes us see a new reality, united with the Father, the lit candle signifies the divine presence within us.
Candles also remind us of the importance of vigilance, of always being careful not to fall into sin, in order to live as the Lord taught us, participating in a holy way in the creation of the Kingdom of God.
On the eve of the apparitions of Our Lady in Cova da Iria, the candle procession is, like the prayer of the rosary and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a way of preparing ourselves spiritually for activities related to the visions.
The symbolism of candles is used to meditate on the mystery and the message left by Mary in Fátima in order to live this moment more deeply.
At the local torchlight, the placing of candles where pilgrims make their promises is an obligatory passage for millions of faithful and is almost as old as the “apparitions” of 1917.
In the Sanctuary of Fátima, since the beginning, pilgrims have left candles in places they consider sacred. Documentary proof of the use of candles dates back to 1920, when the image of Our Lord comes to the Chapel of Apparitions, there is already a report of candles around the image.
The torch holder located next to the Chapel of Apparitions is an obligatory place for millions of faithful who make the pilgrimage to the sanctuary, where they leave candles, but also the most diverse wax figures representing children, adults or organs of the human body.
On the weekends of Fátima's “high season” between May and October, several tons of wax were burned in the torch, as an example on May 13, 2014, on the occasion of the International Anniversary Pilgrimage, almost 21 tons of wax were burned in that place in less than 24 hours.
The tocheiro is the place where the person who cannot continue in Fátima makes a pilgrimage and who must leave their candle so that it burns and consumes itself, because it is a place of passage for pilgrims.
The act of leaving candles for pilgrims is a deeper and theological connection that is related to the baptism candle which is a symbol of life, but it is also letting a little of this sacred place remain close to our hearts wherever we are, as the Virgin of Fátima watches over us.
Every day there are hundreds of people who arrive at Cova da Iria to thank Our Lady of Fátima's intervention in their lives, many finishing a long journey there: whether physical, for the kilometers covered on pilgrimage, or psychological or for the problems overcome.
A very popular place where all those who promised to light a candle to Our Lady of Fátima meet, the candles are passed from hand to hand, looking for someone else's fire, and in the most different shapes, and tons of wax that are burned there every year in the name of faith.
The use of candles is a very old custom in the Church, since its beginnings it has been done as a way of honoring and praising God.
The candle carries with it the light of the fire, which illuminates, chasing away the darkness, and therefore it symbolizes our faith in the Lord who illuminates our life and makes us see a new reality, united with the Father, the lit candle signifies the divine presence within us.
Candles also remind us of the importance of vigilance, of always being careful not to fall into sin, in order to live as the Lord taught us, participating in a holy way in the creation of the Kingdom of God.
On the eve of the apparitions of Our Lady in Cova da Iria, the candle procession is, like the prayer of the rosary and the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a way of preparing ourselves spiritually for activities related to the visions.
The symbolism of candles is used to meditate on the mystery and the message left by Mary in Fátima in order to live this moment more deeply.
