Between 1968 and 1971, Our Lady of Zeitoun appeared over the rooftop of St. Mary’s Coptic Church in Cairo, Egypt.
Witnessed by an estimated quarter of a million people, this is one of the most observed Marian apparitions in history!
On April 2, 1968, the apparitions began when two Muslim bus mechanics spotted what they feared was a woman preparing to jump from the church dome. Their call for help quickly amassed a large crowd. To the astonishment of all present, the figure shimmered in luminous white, surrounded by what many described as divine light. This was no ordinary woman, but what many believed to be the Virgin Mary herself.
Over the next three years, these appearances continued to occur, drawing crowds of Copts, Muslims, Catholics and Christians of other denominations. The apparitions frequently took place at night, each lasting several minutes to hours, during which the figure of Mary would glow atop the church, engaging in acts of blessing and prayer. Remarkably, the apparitions were also captured in photographs.
Nuns from the Society of the Sacred Heart reported the Zeitoun apparitions to the Vatican, prompting a Vatican envoy’s visit and subsequent confirmation. As the events occurred over a Coptic church, the Vatican deferred to Coptic authorities.
Pope Kyrillos VI of the Coptic Orthodox Church confirmed the apparitions on May 4, leading to joint devotion approval by both churches on May 5, 1968.
Pious tradition holds that Zeitoun is one place the Holy Family went to during their flight into Egypt.
Our Lady of Zeitoun, pray for us! 🙏
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
