The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima - A work by Portuguese sculptor José Ferreira Thedim, 1947. Medium: Brazilian mahogany; height: approx. 1.04 m. Collection: World Apostolate of Fatima, USA. Photo: via World Apostolate of Fatima.
Most works of art remain stationary-confined to a museum display case, a church niche, or a private collection. In stark contrast, this statue has traveled the globe for decades as a ticketed passenger, securely buckled into a seat with her own boarding pass.
The story begins in 1917 in the small Portuguese village of Fatima. That May, ten-year-old Lúcia dos Santos and her two young cousins, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported seeing a female figure dressed in white while tending their flock in a pasture. These apparitions, which occurred six times between June and October, quickly garnered global attention and left a profound mark on the Catholic world. Lúcia, the sole survivor among the three children, later became a Carmelite nun and dedicated the rest of her life to bearing witness to these visions.
The statue itself was created in 1947 as a physical representation of these apparitions. Renowned sculptor José Ferreira Thedim - often referred to as the *Michelangelo of Portugal* - carved the figure based on Sister Lúcia’s detailed descriptions at the request of the Bishop of Leiria. Lúcia had previously reviewed an initial draft by Thedim and noted that certain details - specifically the cuffs and collar of the garments, as well as the necklace -weren't quite right. In response, the diocese brought the two together to meticulously revise and perfect the design.
On October 13, 1947, marking the 30th anniversary of the Miracle of Fatima, the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, José Alves Correia da Silva, blessed the statue in the presence of 200,000 pilgrims and sent it off on a worldwide tour.
So, how exactly did this statue travel on airplanes?
I'd like to share the details provided by Patrick Sabat, the current custodian of the traveling statue: the figure is never stowed in the cargo hold. Instead, on every flight, she's seated in a passenger seat with her own ticket and boarding pass, securely fastened with a seatbelt.
Moreover, according to Sabat, some flight captains would even make pre-flight announcements telling passengers they'd have a safe flight thanks to their "special passenger, Mary."
Having visited over 100 countries to date, the statue holds the title of the most well-traveled religious artifact in world history.
Consecrated on May 13, 1947, for tours in the East, the No. 1 statue was permanently enshrined in the Basilica of Fatima after decades of traveling; she now welcomes visitors there. Meanwhile, the No. 2 statue- consecrated on October 13, 1947, for Western tours -along with subsequent replicas, continues to travel across various continents to this day.
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