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Summary
On the 17th of August 2000, the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary started Her apparitions at St. Mark's Church in Assiut, Upper Egypt, accompanied by glorious lights and big, bright white doves. Those who have witnessed the apparitions have reported seeing dazzling supernatural lights and blue-green flashes over the church. Many residents and pilgrims also recount seeing the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary in a full figure. |
Timeline
| August 17, 2000 |
On the eve of Tuesday, March 25, 1986 (Baramhat 16, 1702 A.M.), the Holy Virgin Mary started Her apparitions in the church of Saint Demiana the Martyr in Papadouplo, near El-Teraa El-Boolakia street, in the overcrowded Shoubra quarter of Cairo, Egypt.
On this day, our Lady appeared beside the two towers of the church of Saint Demiana and was first seen by people living in the houses overlooking the church's towers; Her light shone in their houses and they saw Her in Her full body surrounded by a halo of light over the left (western) dome of the church. |
| August 2000 |
During his recent visit to the US and Canada (August 2000), His Holiness Pope Shenouda III confirmed the validity of the reports of these apparitions. Pope Shenouda said that these apparitions are a message of comfort from heaven and one of confirmation of the faith of Copts, that heaven is aware of their struggle and is pleased by their perseverance. |
| September 24, 2000 |
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III and His Grace Metropolitan Anba Michael of Assiut: The Coptic Orthodox Church is currently following observantly the apparitions of the Holy Virgin Mary and other spiritual phenomena at St. Mark’s Church, Assiut (Watani).
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Oct 13, 2000 |
A declaration acknowledging the Marian Apparitions at St. Mark Church was issued by the Priests' Council in Assiut. |
| January 2001 |
End of the Assiut apparitions.
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Description of the Virgin
Our Lady appeared as a figure in light accompanied by glorious lights and big, bright white doves. Those who have witnessed the apparitions have reported seeing dazzling supernatural lights and blue-green flashes over the church. Many residents and pilgrims also recount seeing the Blessed Holy Virgin Mary in a full figure.
Messages
No messages were given at
these apparitions.
Approval
A declaration acknowledging the Marian Apparitions at St. Mark Church was issued by the Priests' Council in Assiut on October 13, 2000.
Articles
Hundreds flock to Egyptian town for glimpse of Virgin Mary (CNN - September 4, 2000)
ASSIUT, Egypt (AP) -- Thousands of Egyptians and some foreigners have been flocking to this southern Egyptian city in recent weeks where residents say they've seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary and a flock of exceptionally large, white pigeons in an inexplicable shining light.
Since the first reported apparition on Aug. 17 in skies surrounding the dome of Saint Mark's church, villagers and visitors have descended on the neighborhood, waiting in the streets and on rooftops for a glimpse of Mary.
The city's local Coptic Christian synod released a statement on Sunday stating that civilians had reported seeing "spiritual features" on several occasions and at different times since Aug. 17. The statement did not say whether religious leaders had confirmed any sightings personally.
"I haven't seen any light," Father Baki Sedka, head of the first biblical church (protestant), a neighboring church to Saint Mark, told The Associated Press on Monday night. "I stayed up all night and I didn't see anything except a few pigeons."
"The appearance of a few pigeons doesn't justify a miracle," Sedka said. "This case needs a lot of consideration before we can authoritatively assert these sightings."
Since word of the apparition spread, the synod said thousands of Egyptians and some foreigners have come to Assiut, 180 miles (290 kilometers) south of Cairo, the capital, where they've been singing hymns and reciting prayers while waiting for the next vision to appear.
Copts make up less than 10 percent of the population in Egypt, where Islam is the state religion. Assiut has a substantial Coptic Christian population, but also has been a hotbed for Islamic fundamentalism and sight of violent attacks targeting Christians and tourists.
Virgin Mary 'appears' in Egypt
The apparitions come months after the Pope's (John Paul II) visit to Egypt
BBC News - Wednesday, 6 September, 2000, 01:30 GMT 02:30 UK
Wednesday, 6 September, 2000, 01:30 GMT 02:30 UK
Virgin Mary 'appears' in Egypt
The apparitions come months after the Pope's (John Paul II) visit to Egypt
By Caroline Hawley in Cairo
Church officials in southern Egypt say thousands of Christians have been converging on the town of Assiut after reported sightings of the Virgin Mary.
The secretary of the Council of Churches in Assiut told the BBC the town had never experienced anything like it.
He said people had been sleeping in the streets around the Church of St Mark, where the apparitions happened, and standing on rooftops to catch a glimpse.
Assiut has been best known until now as a stronghold of Islamic militancy during the 1990s.
Light, incense and pigeons
Christians in Assiut say the first apparition came two-and-a-half weeks ago but that there have since been several more.
One woman told the BBC she had had two sightings, both times between three o'clock and six o'clock in the morning.
She said she had seen the Virgin Mary with outstretched hands and a light emanating from them, accompanied by a smell of incense and large numbers of pigeons.
The birds seem to be a common element of the sightings.
The secretary of the Assiut Council of Churches, Father Mina Hanna, said other people had seen a big white, brightly lit pigeon appearing and disappearing - but he said the apparitions were different each time.
He would no reveal if he had had a personal experience himself.
'Blessing'
But another priest has been quoted as saying he spent the entire night awake and saw only ordinary pigeons, and that that was not a miracle.
None the less, Father Hanna said the reported sightings were "a blessing" for Assiut.
The priest said relations between Christians and Muslims were now very good and that the sightings had made people of both religions happy.
Links
Our Lady Appears in Assiut, Upper Egypt (August 2000 - January 2001)
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