The name Fatima is strongly linked to religion. It was in that village in 1917 that a woman in white appeared to three children while they were keeping their sheep. The apparitions were repeated on the thirteenth of every month until October of that year. Since then, Fatima is for many, a city of apparitions, devotions and strong religious belief. But the name Fatima, is older than that.
It goes back to the XII century, at the time of the Reconquista and of King D. Afonso Henriques. Legend has it that Gonçalo Hermingues, the "traga-mouros" and a Moorish princess, named Fatima, fell in love, a passion forbidden at that time. On a night of conquests, the "traga-mouros" kidnapped the princess, and with her went to live on those lands, which became known as the "land of Fatima" (now Fatima). The princess converted to Christianity and adopted the name Oureana. As a wedding gift, the king gave them lands which became known as the "land of Oureana" (now Ourem).
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