The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is located 4 km from the centre of Zakopane. It offers a marvellous view of Gewont Mountain and the Tatras. The temple was built in 1992 in gratitude for the saved life of the Holy Father (Pope) John Paul II on 13 May 1981. He believed that it was Our Lady of Fatima who saved his life in an assassination attempt. Poles are still proud of their famous citizen, honouring and preserving his memory. The Pope himself visited this church, one of the most famous in the area.
The Fatima church is named after the apparition of Our Lady that took place on 13 May 1917 in the small town of Fatima in Portugal, when she appeared to three shepherd children and revealed three mysteries of future events, two of which are now known.
The breathtakingly beautiful decoration of the temple, the many stained glass windows, the skilfully crafted altar create a feeling of lightness, airiness, floating above earthly affairs and worries. Especially the temple is dressed up on holidays, when its interior is decorated with with a huge array of purple and lilac flowers.
Tourists love to walk and take pictures in the vast park area near the temple and admire the park sculptures.
