Our Lady of Zeitoun

Beginning on April 2, 1968, luminous apparitions of the Blessed Virgin appeared above the domes of the Coptic Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, a suburb of Cairo. Unlike most Marian apparitions, these were visible to everyone present — not just selected visionaries. The apparitions continued intermittently for over three years, with some appearances lasting several hours. Crowds of up to 250,000 gathered to witness the phenomenon. The apparitions were photographed extensively and filmed by Egyptian state television. Coptic Patriarch Kyrillos VI established an investigative commission and officially confirmed the apparitions on May 5, 1968. Egyptian President Nasser reportedly witnessed the apparition personally.