There are not many cases known to history when the Blessed Virgin appeared to ordinary people. Appearances of the Mother of God also occurred in the 20th century. Some of them even managed to capture on film or video camera. We have selected three of the most impressive stories that will not leave anyone indifferent.
The history of the Light-painted image on Athos
September 3 in the Orthodox calendar is marked by the feast of an unusual image of the Mother of God, called Light-Painted. On it, the Blessed Virgin is depicted with a loaf of bread in her hands. The name “Light-written” is not accidental: “light-writing” is a literal translation from the Greek word “photography”. And it is with photography that his story is connected.
The events that we will tell about took place in 1903 on Mount Athos and are considered, perhaps, one of the most famous appearances of the Mother of God of our time. The monks of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery then had a tradition - every week they distributed alms to nomadic monks on Athos, called Siromahi, and to other needy. The necessary provisions for these purposes were brought to them from the Russian farmsteads of the monastery.
However, this year the Holy Kinot - the main governing body on Athos - decided to stop the distribution of alms, since it corrupts those who ask. It was on this day, September 3, 1903, that the monks decided to distribute the last alms, and then read the decree of Kinot.
At the time of the distribution of alms, a certain monk named Gabriel took a photograph with the beggars, who received alms in the form of bread cakes - chereks. However, no one expected that during the development of the negative, the image of the Most Holy Theotokos would appear in the photograph, standing with the beggars and receiving alms. It is clear that after this, charity in the Russian monastery on Athos, pleasing to God and His Most Pure Mother, continued.
On the site of the described event in 2011, a chapel was built and a spring was brought to it, and a temple was erected in honor of the Light-painted image. For a long time, the original negative of the photo itself was lost due to many events that befell the monastery. And only last year it was again found in the archives of the monastery.
The longest apparition of the Mother of God in Zeytun
Unfortunately, very little is known about this phenomenon. The reason for this is that it happened in Soviet times, when atheistic propaganda tried to hush up such news. At the same time, the phenomenon in Zeytun is the longest and most documented miracle, which, in addition, was witnessed by the maximum number of people.
The first phenomenon occurred on April 2, 1968 in the city of Zeitoun, which is considered a suburb of the Egyptian capital Cairo. On the evening of that day, two employees of the fleet noticed a translucent luminous figure of a Woman on the dome of a temple belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church.
At first, one of the workers thought that she had decided to end her life and started screaming, persuading Her not to do it. Soon they called the priest of this church and realized that this was not an ordinary woman, but the Most Holy Theotokos. She prayed in front of the cross on the dome, which also glowed at the same time.
The phenomenon in Zeytun was repeated a week later, and then occurred at different intervals until May 29, 1971. It lasted different periods of time: from several minutes to two hours. During this time, thousands of crowds of people of different faiths and even non-believers gathered to look at the miracle. Many of them later converted to Christianity.
Also, this appearance of the Mother of God was marked by various miracles and healings. The first of these happened to the same fleet worker who first noticed the Virgin. The next day, his finger was to be amputated, but the doctor stated that this was no longer necessary, since the finger was healthy.
How the Blessed Virgin looked and behaved was captured on many video and photo cameras. She was wearing a long robe with a head covering. A halo shone around the head, behind which it was impossible to distinguish facial features. She was sometimes seen holding the baby Jesus in her arms. Sometimes She held an olive branch in Her hands.
Luminous doves often appeared around the Most Holy Theotokos, it happened that they formed a cross, and then gathered together and seemed to melt in the air. Often the Mother of God, turning around, would bless people. Moreover, no projectors or lighting devices that could simulate this miracle were found.
However, one must understand that this miracle could also be a phenomenon of a different, opposite nature, as Professor A.I. Osipov treats it with caution, for example.
The Blessed Virgin resurrected a Muslim in Damascus
The next story is very different from the two previous ones, as well as from everything you can imagine. Its plot would be the envy of any novelist or screenwriter. But the most surprising thing about the story, perhaps, is that all this actually happened. And although there was one person who witnessed the appearance of the Mother of God, he himself was a participant in the events, but the incredible consequences of the miracle were confirmed by many, including medical staff.
This incident is best known as the "miracle in Syria". It was trumpeted by some of the media in Syria, Saudi Arabia and Palestine in 2004, first on television, then on radio, through newspapers and magazines. Its participant and protagonist of the events is a certain sheikh from Saudi Arabia. Sometimes the sources mention his name: Shahid D.
Shortly before the events described, he successfully married. The marriage of a young wealthy family was overshadowed by only one thing: they had no children. Parents even advised their son to marry another woman, since polygamy is permissible in Islam, and to give birth to an heir from her. Instead, Shahid went with his wife on a trip to Syrian Damascus in order to dispel his grief.
There they hired a limousine with a driver-guide who took them to all the sights of the city. The guide sensed their sad mood and soon learned of its cause. Then the guide advised to visit the Seydnaya Orthodox Monastery, famous for its miraculous icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. There was an interesting tradition there: believers ate part of the wick from the lamp standing in front of the image of the Most Pure One, before which they prayed, and after that their useful petitions were fulfilled.
The sheikh and his wife, inspired by what they heard, immediately wanted to visit this place. At the same time, they promised that in the event of a favorable resolution of their problem, they would generously reward the driver with an amount of twenty thousand dollars and donate four times more to the monastery itself.
And a miracle happened! Shortly after returning from the monastery, the sheikh's wife became pregnant, and nine months later they had a son. But this was only the beginning of the blessings that the Most Holy Theotokos rendered to the Gentile. Shahid did not forget his promise and warned the driver that he would soon arrive in Damascus to thank him and make a donation to the monastery.
However, the guide decided to rob the generous Muslim and take all the money from him. To do this, he persuaded two more partners to meet the sheikh at the airport with him. On the way, Shahid tried to persuade the criminals, promised to pay each of them ten thousand, but, blinded by greed and anger, they took him to a wasteland and killed him, taking all the money and jewelry.
But the stupefaction of the intruders did not end there either: they dismembered the corpse, cutting off the head, legs and arms. However, for some reason, they did not leave the body here, but put it in the trunk, intending to bury it in another deserted place. But then God's Providence suddenly intervened. On the way to the highway, the criminals' car broke down.
One passing driver offered to help them, to which the attackers rudely refused. The driver was alarmed by their behavior. In addition, he accidentally noticed traces of blood pouring from the trunk. Therefore, soon the police were already at this place. After much objection, the criminals had to open the trunk...
But what was the surprise of everyone when a living sheikh came out of the trunk with the words: “The Most Holy Theotokos has just put the last seam on me here!” He pointed to the neck. The three intruders immediately lost their minds, which they themselves admitted that they had killed this man. They were placed in a prison for the insane.
Doctors confirmed an extraordinary occurrence: the stitches were completely fresh. Moreover, even the thinnest and most delicate vessels were connected, which was impossible to carry out by conventional medical means. The returned to life sheikh, in gratitude for this, donated ten times more to the monastery than he had promised before.
He himself said that he saw everything that happened to him, the appearance of the Mother of God and his healing, as if from the outside. After this incident, the Muslim sheikh and his entire family converted to Orthodoxy. The believer tries to talk about the miracle that happened to him in Syria as often as possible, although the Arab media try to hush it up, fearing the conversion of even more Muslims to Christianity.
You will learn more about one of the described miracles from the video:
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Mysterious apparitions of the Virgin in Zeytun took place from April 2, 1968 to May 29, 1971 in the city Zeytun, a suburb of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The Mother of God periodically appeared in the form of a luminous image above the domes of the church.
Millions of Egyptians and foreigners of all creeds observed phenomena lasting from a few minutes to several hours. Some even managed to photograph this phenomenon.
The official statement of the Patriarchal residence in Cairo stated:
“From the night of April 2, 1968, the appearance of the Lady Virgin, Mother of Light was observed in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Her Name on Tumanbai Street in the Zeytun district of our city. This phenomenon was observed later on many times at night and is still observed in various forms - sometimes full-length, sometimes half-length, always surrounded by a radiant halo, appears from the window of the dome or in the space between the domes.
The Blessed Virgin moves, walks, bows before the cross on the roof of the temple - and then begins to glow with a majestic radiance. She turns to the observers and blesses them with her hands and the inclination of her pure head. In other cases, her most pure body appeared in the form of a cloud or in the form of a radiance, which was preceded by the appearance of certain spiritual beings, similar to doves, flying at great speed.
This phenomenon was observed by thousands of citizens of our country and foreigners belonging to various religions and beliefs... Numerous observers convey the same details in describing the form of the Vision, the time and place of its manifestations. In the presentation of the facts, there is complete agreement in their testimonies.
The Al-Ahram newspaper, May 5, 1968: “Patriarch Kirill announces: “The appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary is true!”
The same newspaper on May 7 of the same year: “In the 24 hours that have passed since the Patriarch’s statement, the crowd around the church in Zeytun has turned into a raging sea.”
Newspaper "Progress Dimansh" dated May 5, 1968: "Numerous apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the Coptic Church of Her Name in Zeytun were confirmed yesterday by Patriarch Kirill VI."
eyewitness testimony
Says Maamoun Afifi, instructor of public transport drivers:
— I was in the garage opposite the church at night. At three-thirty after midnight on Tuesday, April 2, 1968, I heard the garage attendant who was standing at the gate shout in a loud voice: "Light over the dome!" I quickly went out and saw with my own eyes a woman moving above the dome and emitting an unusual light that dispelled the darkness around the dome. I continued to stare at her, and suddenly it became clear to me that this was the Virgin Mary. I saw her walking along the smooth dome. Her body was a torch of light. She walked slowly...
Ab-el-Aziz, the caretaker of the garage of the Public Transport Organization, recalls:
- As soon as I saw the Virgin Mary in the form of a luminous body above the dome, I shouted: “Light above the dome!” I called the garage mechanic, Hussein Awwad, who came running right away. Behind him rushed to my cry and other workers. They also saw the Virgin Mary moving over the dome.
Hussein Awwad, a mechanic at the same garage, says:
— I saw the Virgin Mary above the dome. Her body glowed and illuminated the area like the sun. She began to move, and the light took the form of a circle, inside of which was the Virgin Mary. I have never seen anything like this vision before!
Yakut Ali, garage worker:
Her luminous body hovered above the dome. As soon as her feet touched the surface of the dome, they began to move slowly. She was surrounded by a halo...
A few days later, a commission formed by His Holiness Cyril VI arrived in Zeitoun to verify the truth of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin.
Here is an excerpt from a report signed by committee members Girgas Matta, John Abd-el-Massiv and Benjamin Kamil:
“We wanted to see for ourselves and we made sure. In the middle of the night we observed the Blessed Virgin. First, a heavenly light appeared in the form of a sphere, inside which we saw the Blessed Virgin. Then she appeared in full growth and began to move over the dome, leaning towards the cross and blessing the joyful crowd, which had gathered near the church and exclaimed enthusiastically, worshiping the Blessed Virgin. On another night, we saw a glowing dove that flew out of the dome into the sky.”
Bishop Athanasius stated:
“I saw the Blessed Virgin myself. Many, many thousands of people saw her with me. The apparition was preceded by the flight of two doves from the church. Then a faint light appeared. Then we saw something like a cloud, which immediately lit up like a luminescent light source. In the cloud, the airy outlines of the Most Pure Body of the Virgin Mary appeared - they appeared instantly, as if in one flash. This phenomenon remained visible until five o'clock in the morning. The Blessed Virgin moved to the right and to the left, bowing her head, stretched out her hands to the people, as if greeting and blessing them. Everyone saw her. This miracle has been going on for more than a month and is shaking the skies of the whole world!
Among those who saw the “luminous lady” above the dome of the church was Zaki Shenouda, a prominent scientist and public figure, one of the leaders of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Organization. Here is his story:
On the evening of Saturday, April 27, 1968, I again went to the temple and noticed that the crowd had increased significantly in comparison with the previous one, so that the number of people was now measured in tens of thousands. People filled the streets surrounding the church to the limit. They climbed fences, trees, lampposts. Suddenly, friendly shouts were heard, then the Blessed Virgin appeared over the rear dome of the church. Everyone rushed there, and I, along with everyone else. There I saw a vision that I will never forget. I clearly, distinctly saw the Virgin Mary, surrounded by a halo of light, in the form of a queen with a crown on her head. She shone like a bright sun in the darkness...
Here is an extract from the report of the Director of the General Department of Information of Egypt, Minister of Tourism Hafez Ghanem:
“The results of the official investigations carried out are such that the undoubted facts should be recognized - the Virgin Mary in the form of a bright luminous body appeared to the eyes of all who were in front of the temple, both Christians and Muslims. Any possibility of fabricated neon images or other type of deception is recognized as impossible and completely excluded.
And this is the story of a famous Cairo surgeon:
“My patient, whom I operated on for cancer two years ago, came into my office three weeks ago for a checkup. During the examination, I found that the man had another tumor. I actually felt the tumor during the internal examination and took a piece of tissue for a biopsy.
When the test showed that the tumor was malignant, I recommended immediate surgery, but the man refused, saying that he did not have enough money, and left.
Two weeks later he returned and asked for a re-examination. To my surprise, I couldn't find any swelling, but only white scar tissue. The man told me that he was in Zeytun and prayed to the Mother of God for help. I don’t believe in such miracles, but I can’t explain the disappearance of the tumor and it drives me crazy.”
The interpretation of this phenomenon varies among various representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. So, for example, professor of the Moscow Theological Academy A.I. Osipov is inclined to consider these phenomena as manifestations of a demon in the form of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Attempts at scientific explanation
Cynthia Nelson, an American professor of anthropology, visited the church several times in April-June 1968. She saw only a few "periodic flashes of light." She and others believe that the reports of the miraculous vision are due to the fact that Egypt was going through a period of crisis at this time.
Sociologists Robert Bartolomeu and Erich Good consider reports of a miraculous vision to be a case of mass delusion: "It appears that Mary's observers were predisposed, due to their religiosity and society's expectations, to interpret the flashes of light as associated with the Virgin Mary."
Canadian neurophysiologist Michael Persinger and American geologist John Derr associate the phenomenon with seismic activity. According to their analysis, seismic activity in the region during the period from 1958 to 1979 coincides with the appearance of light phenomena.
raweesh at the Appearance of the Virgin in CairoIn the evening in the Cairo suburb of Zeytun, on the roof of a Christian church, people saw a luminous translucent figure of a woman. She was surrounded by a bright halo, like the Mother of God on the icons. The fiery woman moved through the air as if she were swimming. Before the eyes of the amazed people, she bowed to the cross on the dome of the temple.
The news instantly spread throughout Cairo. People fled to the temple, flooding the streets. And everyone froze in delight, seeing with their own eyes an unprecedented miracle. And thousands of mouths in all languages repeated one name:
Many Christians immediately fell to their knees and began to offer prayers to the Mother of God. The woman, created from a beautiful bright white light, as if having heard them, turned to the people and blessed with her hand.
Thousands of people below saw the fiery figure on the roof of the temple nod its head at them. And in front of everyone turned into a cloud of light...
This first apparition of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, which happened on April 2, 1968, marked the beginning of a great and beautiful necklace of miracles of the Mother of God that are still happening in Egypt today.
And this is not a legend, not a hoax - a reality recorded by the church and the police with documentary accuracy.
"The phenomenon was observed many times at night and is still observed in various forms: sometimes in full growth, sometimes in half; always surrounded by a white radiant halo, appears either from the window of the dome, or in the space between the domes. The Blessed Virgin moves, walks, bows before cross on the roof of the temple - and then he begins to glow with a majestic radiance, turns to those who watch and blesses with his hands and the inclination of His Most Pure Head.In other cases, Her Most Pure Body appeared in the form of a cloud or in the form of radiance, which was preceded by the appearance of certain spiritual beings, similar to doves flying at high speed."
(From the "Statement of the Patriarchal Residence in Cairo", made on May 4, 1968 by decree of the Head of the Coptic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill VI).
Testimony of Bishop Athanasius, Cathedral Bishop of Beni Sufeif:
“I saw the Blessed Virgin myself, many, many thousands saw her with me. The phenomenon was preceded by the flight of two doves from the church. the aerial outlines of the Most Pure Body of the Virgin Mary. They appeared instantly, as if in one flash. This phenomenon remained visible until five o'clock in the morning. When She moved sideways in relation to us, we saw Her profile as a line of light. Then She turned to face us. She was is clearly visible in this phenomenon, that is, for 2 hours and 15 minutes, so that people almost lose their minds. If we ever asked a film director to reproduce this phenomenon, he could not. This is a highly spiritual phenomenon, full of grace, and it is impossible to copy it!"
Testimony of lawyer Zaki Shenouda, leader of the Afro-Asian Congress:
“At first, I thought that these were just reflected lights from the powerful lanterns of the garage located opposite the church. At 5 pm on Saturday, April 27, I again came to the temple. The number of people around was measured in tens of thousands. They climbed fences, trees, lampposts "Everyone looked at the domes of the temple with excitement and prayer. Chants were heard from all sides. I continued to watch until half past three in the morning. At this time, people from the side street adjoining the church shouted that the Blessed Virgin had appeared above the rear dome. Everyone rushed there and I with them. I clearly saw the Virgin Mary, surrounded by a halo around Her Most Pure Body and above her head, in the form of a queen, who stood with a crown on her head. She shone like a bright sun in the darkness. And now she stretched out her hands to the people , greeting and blessing. The Virgin Mary continued to stand like this for about an hour and a half. People exclaimed: "Peace be with you, Mother of Light, Mother of the Savior!" In the face of this vision, incomparable in its grace, beauty, amaze In all honesty, I say with 100% certainty - this is the Blessed Virgin Mary!
Healing
People who observed the miracle recorded extraordinary cases of healing. Aziz Pham, a professor of medicine, is shocked that his patient Salig Abd-el-Malek's cancerous tumor disappeared without surgery.
The 20-year-old blind and dumb girl Madiha Mohammed Said was brought by the brothers to the church, over which the Mother of God appeared. In the presence of many people, she gained her sight and cried out: "Virgo, Virgo!"
The paralyzed woman Mahmud Shukri Ibrahim was seated in front of the temple on a chair, and she prayed for healing. Seeing the Virgin Mary, she left on her feet. Professor Shafik Abd-el-Malik claims that her paralysis was incurable and medical remedies were powerless in her case.
Doctor William Nashed Zaki, who witnessed the apparition of the Virgin, got rid of a hernia that he had suffered for 12 years.
In addition to these cases, hundreds of facts of miraculous recovery have been documented in people who observed the Mother of God. Here are the lines from the official protocol signed by Bishop Gregory:
"Malignant tumors of various types, severe diseases of the thyroid gland, rheumatoid arthritis, blindness, chronic speech disorder, severe hypertension and hemiplegia, paralysis of the arm, a case of incurable hernia, complete rupture of the biceps muscle, acute subconjunctival hemorrhage of the left eye, chronic nephritis, chronic asthma in severe form, severe amputation-threatening infection, and other ailments too numerous to list here were instantly cured, as confirmed by medical research."
The first observers of the apparition of the Mother of God were workers from the garage opposite the temple. All of them are Muslims. The government report gives the testimony of each of them, and they are recognized as reliable: "Any possibility of fabricated neon images or other deception is recognized as impossible and excluded."
It is documented that in Zeytun the Mother of God appeared at different times in several forms - in full growth, kneeling, with an olive branch, with a baby in her left hand. Witnesses describe that the metal cross on the church began to glow, although it is made of opaque material and is not visible at night. The Mother of God blessed the people in all four directions of the world, on the Blessed Virgin they saw a blue veil over a light blue robe.
In addition, witnesses describe dove-like birds that emitted a bright light, which "suddenly appeared and disappeared in the same way, without leaving the boundaries of visible space."
People also saw fiery stars that fell on the temple at great speed from heaven and immediately disappeared with brilliance and radiance, without harming people.
Often they saw a fiery cross above the dome, which shone brighter than the image of the Virgin. On some nights, clouds of fragrant incense rose from the dome, as from thousands of censers.
All witnesses note the luminous clouds that precede the appearance of the Virgin Mary.
The apparitions of the Mother of God in Zeytun lasted for three years (1968-1971). The day they begin, April 2, is included in the liturgical calendar of the Coptic Church.
In 1982, similar phenomena were repeated in another temple of the Virgin in Cairo, on el-Gamhuriya street. On March 25, 1986, the Mother of God appeared in Shubra, one of the Christian quarters of Cairo, above the temple of the holy martyr Deminiana and 40 virgins, they continued there until 1991. It is noteworthy that witnesses there (including members of the papal commission from the Vatican!) clearly saw the image of the Infant Jesus in the arms of the Virgin Mary - it appeared during the Divine Liturgy. The vision also appeared in the temple, near the altar wall. From August to September 1997, the apparitions of the Virgin over the temple in the village of Shentana in the province of Menufia continued - they were also recorded by the bishops of the Coptic Church and the secretary of the Pope. And in August 2000, the apparitions of the Virgin began in Asyut, a city 290 kilometers south of Cairo. There the Mother of God was seen over the church of St. Mark. In 2002, the Mother of God appeared in a church in Giza, not far from the pyramids. The Virgin Mary, woven of light, extended her arms to the people. The police and military sent powerful searchlights in the direction of the phenomenon, but could not outshine the light flooding the entire district ...
According to legend, the Holy Family stopped in these places during their flight from Herod.
The Mother of God periodically appeared in the form of a luminous image above the domes of the church. Millions of Egyptians and foreigners of all creeds observed phenomena lasting from a few minutes to several hours.
Watch from 4:38
Hegumen Varsonofy (Khaibulin): Our Lady of Zeytun brought Christians of different faiths closer together
On April 2, 1968, in the Cairo suburb of Zeytun, Muslim workers saw an unusual sight: on the roof of a Coptic church stood a luminous translucent female figure, in which they recognized the Virgin Mary. Hundreds of thousands of people were eyewitnesses of the phenomena, which lasted for three years. However, very little is known about these amazing events in our country. Hegumen Varsonofy (Khaibulin) has been trying for many years to convey to the Russians the news of the miracle in Zeytun.
– O. Barsanuphius, you were one of the first in our country, which was then behind the Iron Curtain, to learn about the amazing apparitions of the Mother of God in Zeytun, and since 1968 you have been purposefully studying everything related to these miracles. Including collect photographs in which the Virgin Mary is clearly visible, books and articles. What did happen in the suburbs of Cairo?
- On April 2, over the Coptic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Zeitoun district of Cairo, where, according to legend, the Holy Family stopped during their flight from Herod, “great signs from Heaven” began. In the official reports of the First Hierarch of the Coptic Church, Pope Cyril VI, they were called "Appearances of the Holy Virgin Mary". For the first time in world history, crowds of many thousands of people of the most diverse faiths could observe for several hours such blessed visions, which in former times were only awarded to the chosen ones of God. There were also many Muslims among those gathered: after all, Egypt is a country with a predominantly Islamic population. They also prayed to the Mother of God together with the Christian Copts.
- What did people see?
A brief account of the first vision was published in an issue of the Cairo newspaper Watani. A week later there was a second vision, then others. They were always at night and were accompanied by a mysterious light, radiance and brilliance around the church, which formed, as it were, a canopy of stars. One witness describes it as a "shower of diamonds". Then the light acquired the outlines of the Mother of God. She was dressed in long clothes and had a head covering of bluish-white light. From time to time, the Blessed Virgin could be seen with the baby Jesus in her arms, or with Saint Joseph, along with Christ, a boy of about twelve years old. The crowds gathered reached 250 thousand people. The arrived correspondents even took photographs of the Virgin Mary, which bypassed the world media. Healings have begun. Their multitude prompted the Coptic ecclesiastical authorities to even organize a special medical committee to investigate cases of healings.
- Tell us more about the healings ...
- The report on the Zeitoun events, compiled by Bishop Gregory, chairman of the committee for the study of these miraculous events, speaks of "instant healings" from such ailments as malignant tumors of various types, severe thyroid diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, blindness, chronic speech disorders, severe a form of hypertension, hemiplegia, arm paralysis, chronic asthma in severe form, severe infection with the threat of amputation and many other diseases... And this is confirmed by thorough medical research. Even after the visions gradually became less clear and stopped completely in May 1971, numerous healings continued to be reported.
- And how did you personally perceive the Zeytun miracles in 1968, and what did you do?
- I then studied at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, was a hierodeacon. Now the miracle in Zeytun is causing some people in Russia to be wary, and sometimes even hostile. And then, it must be said, there were completely different moods, including among the clergy. There was solidarity of all believers against the power of atheists. Confessional differences were in the background. And there were great sympathies for the Copts in general. They, like us, belong to the Eastern Churches. This is now, when there was no state atheism, some kind of internal disassembly began. This is us, this is Catholics, this is the “heresy of ecumenism”, and so on. Then everything was different, everyone was united in the face of a common enemy - the atheistic regime. So, the appearances of the Mother of God in Egypt greatly inspired us and were regarded as a sign of the imminent fall of the godless power.
- Since 1971, the phenomena in Egypt have not been repeated?
- On the contrary, on the evening of Saturday, August 21, 1982. (About 8.10 am) The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in the church of Her name on El Gamhuria Street. The apparitions continued until the end of November 1982 and were confirmed by the Bishop of Aswan.
Fifteen years after the end of the Zeitoun apparitions, on March 25, 1986, apparitions of the Mother of God of the same type, accessible to the contemplation of an unlimited number of people, resumed over the church of the holy martyr Damiana and 40 virgins, located in the Christian quarter of Cairo - Shubra.
On August 15, 1997, news began to spread about the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary above the temple of Her name in the village of Shentena el-Hagar in the province of Menufia. A Middle East Times correspondent from Menufia said: “For the past two weeks, thousands of Coptic Christians have been gathering outside the church at Menufia to witness firsthand what they believe to be the apparition of the Holy Virgin Mary. This phenomenon, certified by the local bishop, is the third in Egypt after 1967. The Mother of God appeared on the church tower with two angels on both sides, began to move and bless the people. According to the description of eyewitnesses, there was a crown above Her head, and her clothes were the color of a clear blue sky.
In 2000, when the whole world celebrated the two thousandth anniversary of Christianity, the appearance of the Virgin Mary was observed in Asyut (290 kilometers south of Cairo), where, according to legend, the Holy Family stopped during their flight to Egypt. According to the description of eyewitnesses, on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on August 19, at about 11.35, luminous doves appeared from different places - above the dome and on the bell towers of the temple, and a strong aroma began to exude. After that, the appearance of the Virgin Mary began above the middle cross in the form of a star radiating bright light. The volume and strength of this light began to increase until the figure of the Mother of God appeared. She began to move towards the northern bell tower, walked around it, and then again headed towards the cross. The Mother of God was wearing a blue head covering. Light emanated from Her pure hands. The apparitions were repeated many times and, as in the case of the apparitions in Zeytun, they were observed by thousands of believers.
The last time - in 2002, with a large confluence of people and the police (which was pulled together to avoid unrest), miraculous visions of the Virgin Mary were observed in the city of Omraniya, Giza district.
– What message, in your opinion, do the Egyptian apparitions of the Mother of God convey?
– The apparitions of the Virgin Mary starting from Zeitoun are addressed not only to Copts, but to all Christians. Including us - the Orthodox. Moreover, in my opinion, Russia is the center of eschatological events, the starting point of which is 1917. It is no coincidence that a fierce atheistic system reigned in our country. Russia has undergone the greatest sin. But she is also promised the greatest revival. Only Russians, having suffered such a wound from the fierce persecutors of the Church - the Bolsheviks - are able to rise again and revive all world Christianity. But first we need to reconsider our attitude towards Zeitoun. It is no coincidence that Russia has always been called the “house of the Virgin”. So sometimes I am just ashamed of our current inattentive attitude to the amazing apparitions of the Mother of God, which has been going on for almost forty years.
