The Miracle of the Sun

On October 13, 1917, approximately 70,000 people gathered at Cova da Iria near Fátima, Portugal witnessed something extraordinary. The sun appeared to dance, change colors, and plunge toward earth before returning to normal. It remains one of the most witnessed anomalous events ever recorded.

The Background

Earlier in 1917:

• Three shepherd children
• Lucia, Francisco, Jacinta
• Reported Marian visions
• Monthly since May
• Promised miracle

The Promise

The Lady promised:

• A miracle would occur
• October 13, 1917
• At Cova da Iria
• For all to see
• Proof of apparitions

The Crowd

That October day:

• Estimated 70,000 people
• Some say 100,000
• Believers and skeptics
• Journalists present
• Massive gathering

The Weather

The morning:

• Heavy rain
• Muddy conditions
• Crowd soaked
• Umbrellas everywhere
• Miserable weather

The Moment

Around noon:

• Rain stopped suddenly
• Clouds parted
• Sun became visible
• Then impossible things
• Mass witnessed event

What They Saw

Witnesses described:

• Sun began spinning
• Like pinwheel of fire
• Colors projected
• Across landscape
• Everything tinted

The Descent

Most terrifying:

• Sun appeared to fall
• Plunging toward earth
• Crowd screamed
• Many fell to knees
• Thought world ending

Physical Effects

After the event:

• Clothes dried instantly
• Ground dried
• People healed claimed
• Conversions happened
• Lasting effects

Newspaper Reports

Secular press:

• O Seculo (anti-clerical)
• Reporter Avelino de Almeida
• Witnessed and reported
• Could not explain
• Honest account

The Reporter’s Account

Almeida wrote:

• Sun trembled
• Made sudden movements
• Outside all cosmic laws
• Crowd terrified
• Unprecedented scene

Multiple Witnesses

Those present included:

• Believers and atheists
• Clergy and anticlericals
• Educated and simple
• All saw something
• Mass phenomenon

Not Universal

However:

• Not seen everywhere
• Localized to area
• Nearby towns saw nothing
• Some in crowd didn’t see
• Mysterious selectivity

Scientific Attempts

Explanations proposed:

• Mass hysteria
• Sun dogs
• Stratospheric dust
• Collective hallucination
• None fully satisfying

The Problem with Explanations

But issues remain:

• Too many witnesses
• Different vantage points
• Physical effects
• Skeptics convinced
• Unprecedented scope

Church Response

Vatican:

• Investigated thoroughly
• Years of examination
• Eventually approved
• Apparitions authentic
• Miracle accepted

The Children

The three seers:

• Francisco and Jacinta died young
• Spanish flu 1919-1920
• Both later canonized
• Lucia lived until 2005
• Became nun

The Secrets

The Lady also shared:

• Three secrets
• Gradually revealed
• Controversial contents
• Prophetic claims
• Ongoing debate

Significance

Fatima is significant for:

• Mass witnessed miracle
• Secular press coverage
• Church approval
• Multiple witnesses
• Physical effects

Legacy

The Miracle of the Sun remains one of the most documented and witnessed anomalous events in history. Whether divine intervention, mass psychological phenomenon, or something else entirely, 70,000 people saw something extraordinary that October day.