Three children in Portugal claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary in a total of six apparitions between May 13 and Oct. 13, 1917.

The Vatican City is issuing a commemorative €2 coin to mark the 100th anniversary of the event noted as the Fatima apparitions. Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto were the three shepherds who claimed that Mary appeared before them.

The obverse of the coin features the shepherds, against a background of the Sanctuary of Fatima. At the top is the inscription CITTÀ DEL VATICANO in semi-circle and right under is the year 1917. Underneath the year, from left to right, is the inscription FATIMA 2017. At the left side is the Mint mark R and at the bottom the name of the designer O. ROSSI.

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A total of 105,000 coins are being released in October 2017.

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring.

The common reverse shows a map of the European Union. The 12 stars of the European flag appear on both sides of the ringed-bimetallic €2 coin.

The €2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations have issued the maximum number of designs.

Joint euro programs like the 2015 coins honoring the 30th anniversary of the flag of the European Union do not count toward this limit.

All €2 coins are legal tender throughout the eurozone.