On May 13, 1917, nine-year-old Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto were herding sheep at Cova da Iria in the parish of Fátima, Portugal and saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary, who the children described as “the Lady more brilliant than the Sun.” The children were told “to make sacrifices, and to spend time in adoration of the Lord.” The children were also told that on October 13th of that year the “Lady” would reveal her identity and perform a miracle “so that all may believe.” Newspapers reported the prophecies, and many pilgrims began visiting the area. On October 13, 1917, a huge crowd of 100,000 people, including reporters and photographers, gathered at Cova da Iria. What happened then became known as the “Miracle of the Sun.”
Numerous authors have published what actually happened during the event. The three children reported seeing a panorama of visions during the event, including those of Jesus, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and of Saint Joseph blessing the people. According to news accounts, after a period of rain, the dark clouds broke and the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the landscape, the people, and the surrounding clouds. The sun then careened towards the earth before zigzagging back to its normal position. Witnesses reported that their previously wet clothes became “suddenly and completely dry, as well as the wet and muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain that had been falling.”
After a canonical inquiry, the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima officially declared the visions of Fátima as “worthy of belief” in October 1930, officially permitting the belief of Our Lady of Fátima.
