Located where the three shepherd children used to play at the time of the first Apparition, the Basilica was design by dutch Gerard Van Kriechen and built by architect João Antunes. The first stone was blessed in 1928, but the church was only consecrated in 1954 (when Pope Pius XII granted in the status of Basilica). The bell tower, 65 meters high, is topped with bronze wreath, superimposed by a cross, which is lit up at night. In the niche of the tower stands a statue of the immaculate Heart of Mary.