- Virgin's Church Zeitun Cairo Egypt - CW Anderson
This visit by the Holy Virgin, confirmed by church officials, is only one of several documented occasions in the Nile Delta and in Upper Egypt.
Holy Mary Appearances Documented During 1960s, 1970s, 1980s
Perhaps the most reported and widely noted series of Virgin Mary Apparitions was in Zeitoun, Cairo governorate.
Virgin Mary Church at Zeitoun, Cairo, Egypt has posted a quote from the late rector of the church. "April 2nd 1968 an hour and a half after sunset, the mechanics and drivers of the garage were all alarmed by some disturbance in the street. The workmen ran to the street. They saw a young lady dressed in white on the church dome..".more...
His eye witness testimony might warrant more attention because of his relationship, as brother in the flesh, to Coptic Pope Shenouda.
Virgin Mary appearance sightings reportedly continued into 1971 on a sporadic basis.
Sightings of similar apparitions on March 25, 1986 were reported by witnesses at the church of Saint Demiana the Martyr in Papadouplo, near El-Teraa El-Boolakia street, in the overcrowded Shoubra quarter of Cairo, Egypt. Later, a report of the Papal Delegation presented to the Holy Synod assembled on June 21, 1986 and headed by H.H. Pope Shenouda III was issued to examine the sightings written about on April 13, 1986, in Egyptian weekly newspaper. Watani, in which Mosaad Sadek wrote:
'...inhabitants of the houses around the church said that they saw flashes of light shining over the church starting a few months ago, but nobody reflected on the matter. It was only when the Virgin appeared that they started to link the preceding events with the apparitions of the Virgin'.
A few reports were reported also during the 1990s, in 2000 and in 2007. Perhaps the most noteworthy were appearances in Assiut in Upper Egypt during March and April 2006. One parishioner speaking with a friend in Ottawa, Canada reported, in part, 'worshipers crowded the church (in the lower level) and kept waiting after finishing the mass to see the light. At the same time another mass served by Bishop Mikhail (Metropolitan of Assiut) had ended also in the upper level of church. The Bishop was called to bless people downstairs ('Yesref El Shaab') and convince them to leave since no more light had appeared at that time. While the Bishop was doing that, the light struck in the altar and the people rejoiced.'
Until December 2009, that Assiut appearance was probably the last significant recurring event. However, an apparition currently ongoing and witnessed on numerous occasions since December 11, 2009 is drawing attention by several news organizations in Egypt and United Kingdom's BBC, as well as becoming a youtube sensation. Despite widespread circulation of videos, officials in Egypt are denying the lights to be apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
Most Significant Virgin Mary Appearance Sighting Locations in Egypt And Dates
The most significant places and timings of the appearance of Virgin Mary's Lights:
- Zeitoun (or Zeitun) 1968 - 1971 coincides with nation's leadership change from Nasser to Sadat, and from alliance with atheist Soviets to USA
- Shoubra 1986 perhaps coinciding with the soon to collapse Soviet Union and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
- Assiut 2006-2007 perhaps coinciding with impending economic challenges.
- El-Warraq 2009. Only time will define any correlation with chaos. However, Hosni Mubarak is persistently rumored to be grooming his son, Gamal el-Deen Muhamed Hosni Sayed as heir to the Presidency.
The above report was compiled from several individual reports by zeitun-eg.org and discussions with Egyptians wishing not to be named. Also see a comment at the end of Coptic Christianity, Virgin Mary's Tree in Egypt wherein it is alleged an apparition of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph may have appeared in an alleyway adjacent to the Coptic Christian revered Virgin Mary's Tree in the mataria district of Cairo, Egypt.
Related Articles
Coptic Christianity, Virgin Mary's Tree in Egypt - This article provides a thorough discussion of the site in Mataria, aka Heliopolis or ain Shams or Annu, where baby Jesus, Virgin Mary and Joseph took refuge under a sycamore tree while thye, the Holy Family, were exiled to Egypt during the time of King Herod. Updated Feb. 20, 2010, to include a report submitted by a visitor from India who claimed to have seen an apparition of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph passing through the area.
Holy Family Exile in Egypt's Nile Delta Villages - This article relates coptic tradition regarding visit by Jesus, Virgin Mary and Joseph to Zaqaziq and Bilbeis area, their first stop in the Nile Delta while escaping King Herod. Includes reference regarding apparitions of Virgin Mary in Egypt during recent years.
Merneptah or Merenptah Temple Unearthed in Egypt - This article discussion of a new archaeological discovery dating back to the earliest foundations of the people the world would later dub 'Coptic.'
C. William Anderson - C. William Anderson is a lover of travel adventure and history who has lived and worked in Botswana, Egypt, Libya and the Middle East. He ...
