“In the noisy, poor district of Zeitoun, on the outskirts of Cairo, stands a Church dedicated to the Mother of God, built on the site where, according to legend, the Holy Family rested during the flight to Egypt. The Church belongs to the Orthodox Copts, Egyptians of the purest blood who did not go through Arabization through the adoption of Islam. “Copt” is actually an Arabic name, originally given to all Egyptians, but later assigned exclusively to Christians, in contrast to Muslim Egyptians.
Christianity came to Egypt in apostolic times (St. Mark the Apostle) and spread widely throughout the country, which became the cradle of the glorious movement of monasticism under St. Anthony the Great and Pachomius the Great, and also the center of theology under St. Athanasius the Great and Cyril of Alexandria. Despite their small numbers among the Muslim world, the Copts have remained faithful to their Church, and in recent years a renewal of monasticism has begun, in particular in the ancient Nitrian Monasteries.
The church in Zeytun was built in 1925 at the behest of the Mother of God herself, who appeared in a dream to the owner of the plot of land, Ibrahim Pasha. “You must build a Church for Me. If you do this, then in 50 years I will come here,” said the Mother of God.”
The apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun took place from April 2, 1968 to May 29, 1971 in the city of Zeitoun, 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 religions observed phenomena lasting from a few minutes to several hours.
Phenomena
According to eyewitnesses, starting on April 2, 1968, the Virgin Mary appeared in various forms over the building of the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, a suburb of Cairo. The phenomena lasted from several minutes to several hours, and were sometimes accompanied by the appearance of luminous objects similar to doves. These phenomena were seen by millions of Egyptians and foreigners, including Copts, Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews and people of no denomination. There were allegedly numerous healings of the sick and blind. As a result, many people converted to Christianity.
Patriarch Kirill VI of Alexandria appointed a commission of high-ranking priests and bishops to investigate this issue. The Commission was headed by Bishop Gregory, Bishop of Higher Education, Coptic Culture and Scientific Research. On May 4, 1968, the Patriarchate of the Coptic Orthodox Church published an official statement confirming the apparitions.
The Coptic Catholic Patriarch Cardinal Stephen I officially confirmed the truth of the apparitions. He said that there is no doubt that apparitions of Our Lady of Zeitoun have occurred and been observed by many Coptic Catholics in his flock whom he knows and trust.
The apparitions were also confirmed by the Jesuit priest Father Dr. Heinrich Habib Airut, rector of the Catholic Collège de la Sainte Famille in Cairo, and the priest Dr. Ibrahim Said, head of the Protestant evangelical clergy.
Nuns from the Society of the Sacred Heart also witnessed the apparition and sent a detailed report to the Vatican. As a result, on April 28, 1968, two envoys arrived from the Vatican, who themselves observed the Apparitions and sent a report to Pope Paul VI (report in the Al Ahram newspaper of May 6, 1968).
At the level of the Egyptian government, the truth of the Apparitions of Our Lady was also confirmed.
The apparitions were filmed and broadcast on Egyptian television. They were also photographed by photographers from many newspapers.
Investigations carried out by the police could not find any explanation for these phenomena. Within a radius of 24 km, no device capable of projecting an image onto the dome of the temple was found. Photographers from independent publications expressed the opinion that such phenomena could not be the result of manipulation.
Skeptical researchers cannot find convincing arguments denying the reality of Phenomena. Dale C. Allison writes: “I must confess, however, that I find no explanation for the sightings of the Virgin Mary in 1968-1969 at St. Mary's Coptic Church, Zeitoun, Egypt; She was reportedly seen by tens of thousands of Muslims and Christians. (I must confess, however, that I am at a loss to explain the 1968-1969 sightings of the Virgin Mary at St. Mary Coptic Church in Zeitoun, Egypt; she was reportedly seen by tens of thousands, both Muslims and Christians.) " Michael Carroll calls the Apparitions "the undeniable reality of a luminous something atop the Church of the Virgin in Zeitoun."
The Coptic Orthodox Church built and consecrated two churches in honor of Our Lady of Zeitoun (feast day 2 April), one in France and the other in Vienna.
Press reports
The release on May 4, 1968 of the “Statement of the Patriarchal Residence in Cairo”, made by order of the Head of the Coptic Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill VI, was covered the next day on the front pages of all major Cairo newspapers:
Al-Ahram (semi-official government newspaper): “Patriarch Kirill VI released a statement confirming the Apparition.”
Al-Gumhuriya: “The Patriarch announced the Apparition of the Virgin Mary in the church in Zeitoun.”
Al-Akhbar: “Thousands of citizens of various religions claim that they have seen the Virgin Mary.”
"Vatani": "The Transfiguration of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun surpasses Her Transfiguration in Fatima, Lourdes and Spain."
"Progress Dimanche" (French-language newspaper): "Miraculous Apparition of the Virgin Mary."
Michael P. Carroll reports a fairly widespread sanctification of the Apparitions published in The Times of London on May 6, 1968.
In 1968, The New York Times also published several articles
In contact with
The small five-domed Church of Our Lady in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun stands in the shadow of a huge modern cathedral. The Church belongs to the Orthodox Copts, Egyptians of the purest blood who did not go through Arabization through the adoption of Islam. “Copt” is an Arabic name originally given to all Egyptians, but later assigned exclusively to Christians, in contrast to Muslim Egyptians. Christianity came to Egypt in apostolic times (St. Mark the Apostle) and spread widely throughout the country, which became the cradle of the glorious movement of monasticism under St. Anthony the Great and Pachomius the Great, and also the center of theology under St. Athanasius the Great and Cyril of Alexandria. Despite their small numbers among the Muslim world, the Copts have remained faithful to their Church, and in recent years a renewal of monasticism has begun, in particular in the ancient Nitrian Monasteries.
On April 2, 1968, Muslim workers at a bus depot located next to the Church of St. Mary saw a strange sight - on the roof of the church stood a translucent female figure, from which a glow emanated. They thought it was a nun who intended to jump from the roof and called the police. Gradually a crowd gathered around the church, staring at the luminous figure. After this, the vision appeared at night for several more months. The people who came running saw the Mother of God on the roof - just as She is depicted on the icons in the Deesis order of the iconostasis, praying in front of the cross of the temple, from which a radiance also emanated. The photographers who arrived took the first shots. 
The Coptic Catholic Patriarch Cardinal Stephen I officially confirmed the truth of the apparitions. He said that there is no doubt that apparitions of Our Lady of Zeitoun have occurred and been observed by many Coptic Catholics in his flock whom he knows and trust. The apparitions were also confirmed by Jesuit priest Father Dr. Heinrich Habib Airut, rector of the Catholic College de la Sainte Famille in Cairo, and priest Dr. Ibrahim Said, head of the Protestant evangelical clergy. Nuns from the Society of the Sacred Heart also witnessed the apparition and sent a detailed report to the Vatican. As a result, on April 28, 1968, two envoys arrived from the Vatican, who themselves observed the Apparitions and sent a report to Pope Paul VI (report in the Al Ahram newspaper, May 6, 1968). At the level of the Egyptian government, the truth of the Apparitions of Our Lady was also confirmed. The apparitions were filmed and broadcast on Egyptian television. They were also photographed by photographers from many newspapers. Investigations carried out by the police could not find any explanation for these phenomena. Within a radius of 24 km, no device capable of projecting an image onto the dome of the temple was found. Photographers from independent publications expressed the opinion that such phenomena could not be the result of manipulation. 
The news of the phenomenon spread throughout the world. Hundreds of thousands of people, including many photojournalists and journalists, witnessed the phenomena, which continued continuously for three years. The testimony of numerous witnesses was summarized by journalist Francis Johnson in his book “When Millions Saw the Virgin Mary,” which went through five reprints.
The legend says: “ When the Mother of God fled to Egypt from the persecution of Herod, the fig tree, suddenly filled with fruits, fed the hungry and exhausted Most Pure One, Joseph and the Lord“. On the site of the fig tree, relatively recently - in 1925 - a temple of the Coptic Orthodox Church was erected. It was built according to a vow by Tofik Khalil. After this, the lane on which the church was built became known as Khalil Lane (Khalil Lane). Later, in a dream, the Mother of God gave the word to a certain Khalil Pasha Ibrahim that she could reveal herself in this place in fifty years. And now, 50 years later, the Blessed Virgin seemed to bless the temple in this way.
The previous appearance of Our Lady was in 1962 in Soviet Lithuania. The Blessed Virgin then said that next time She would come to Egypt. 
The first vision in Zeitoun, as already mentioned, happened on the evening of April 2, 1968, at 20.30. This is what the Muslim workers said when they arrived for their usual shift at the gates of their garage, which is opposite St. Mary's Church. Rush hour had already passed, and in the growing darkness there was only one car on the street and a few women walking on the side illuminated by the lamp. Suddenly, some movement above the middle dome of the temple attracted the attention of the women. Two workers put down their cups of tea and froze in amazement - the kneeling “white lady” stood next to the cross at the top of the dome. One of the workers, named Farukh, pointed with his bandaged finger (which was to be amputated the next day) and shouted with all his might, thinking that the girl wanted to throw herself down: “Lady! Don't jump! Don't jump! Driven by a feeling of despair, he rushed to call the firefighters and police, and several of his comrades rushed to call the priest Father Konstantin.
At this moment, the “Lady”, dressed in clothes shimmering with light, stood up. One of the women below shouted in Arabic, suddenly inspired: “Our Mother of God Mary!” As soon as this exclamation escaped her lips, a flock of white doves appeared from nowhere and began to hover next to the vision. Moments later, the unusual vision faded into the darkened skies, leaving the onlookers stunned and speechless.
At the same time, several people who rushed after the priest quickly climbed a steep stone staircase and excitedly and confusedly began to talk about the phenomenon. The priest opened the window and a wonderful Light poured into his room. He saw the Most Pure Virgin surrounded by a halo of radiance against the background of the dark sky. Her head was covered with a blue veil and Her Face is very similar to the icon-painting images. Several minutes passed, the figure quickly rose into the night sky and disappeared. 
The next morning, when Farukh, an eyewitness worker, arrived at the hospital for surgery, the surgeon was amazed to see the finger completely healthy. This was the first known miracle of healing in Zeitoun.
A brief account of the first vision was published in an issue of the Cairo newspaper Wantani. A week later, a second vision occurred, then another, and another, in quick succession. They always took place 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.” Minutes later, a flock of glowing doves would appear and fly around the floodlit church. Eyewitnesses describe them as strange birds - as if made of light, which flew at amazing speeds, but did not flap their wings. Sometimes seven or more birds flew in the shape of a cross. Then they formed a flock and suddenly disappeared, as if snow flakes were melting. Soon, a blinding flash of light seemed to be sucked into the church roof. As the light diminished, it took on the shape of the Mother of God. She was always dressed in long clothes and a head covering of bluish-white light. The folds of clothing fluttered in the warm wind. There was a dazzling halo-like light around the head. It was so strong that it made it almost impossible to distinguish facial features. The vision glided effortlessly through the domes and greeted the crowd below. Suddenly She could appear above or between the palm trees in the church courtyard, or appear as a ball of light on one of the 4 corner domes, or at the stone arches supporting them. The frequency of visions varied. In the first days, the Mother of God appeared almost every night, sometimes several times during the night hours. Therefore, many hundreds of observers could quickly run home and bring their relatives or neighbors here. Over time, however, the visions began to appear less frequently. From time to time the Blessed Virgin could be seen with the baby Jesus in her arms, or with Saint Joseph together with Christ, a child of about 12 years old. 
News of the visions spread like fire, causing a wave of great excitement among an incredible multitude of Christians, Muslims, Jews and even unbelievers. The crowds that gathered at night reached 250 thousand people. Each appearance of the Mother of God was accompanied by deafening screams and cries of a huge number of people besieging the church from all sides: “We believe in You, Holy Mary! We bear witness to You, Holy Mary!” Scores of Muslims, kneeling on their mats, recited verses from the Koran in honor of St. Mary (Islam has a certain reverence for the Virgin Mary and recognizes the Immaculate Conception of Christ). Others prayed in unison with Catholics, Copts and Protestants. For the first time in history, Christians and Muslims prayed together in such large numbers.
In the early hours, photographer Wagih Rizq Matta successfully photographed the apparition for the first time. “The phenomenon,” he says, “ It was so sharp that it blinded my eyes. It was like I was shocked by an electric shock. I clicked the camera several times and suddenly found that my sore arm was healed“. The growing number of other healings prompted the Coptic church authorities to even organize a special Medical Committee to investigate cases of healings. 
Bishop Gregory, head of the Academy of Coptic Culture and Scientific Research: “ These events have no equal in the past either in the East or in the West. One day I saw the heavens open, and Saint Mary appeared in this gap. She looked taller than an ordinary human figure, young, beautiful and radiant. She had something like a veil on her head. She looked in the direction of the cross on the dome of the main temple. She looked like a grieving Mother. She didn't look happy. She stood there for 2 or 3 hours. Sometimes She moved slowly. At times She had an olive branch in Her right hand, and at other times She raised both hands in prayer. Sometimes the Mother of God appeared with the Christ Child in her arms - then she looked happy, sometimes she smiled. She was always gracious. Then She returned to the dome, the figure turned into a luminous ball and melted into the darkness.“.
Bishop Athanasius of Beni Zuif: “ It was difficult to stand right in front of the church all the time, as waves of people were pushing me from all sides. The Mother of God was 5-6 meters above the dome, high in the sky, full-length, like a phosphorescent statue, but she was not lifeless. Movement of the body and folds of clothing was noticeable. She made a gesture with her hand, blessing the people. It was something supernatural something very, very heavenly“.
On May 5, 1968, a special committee of hierarchs of the Coptic Church addressed their Pope Cyril VI: “ We have the great honor to present to Your Eminence these studies concerning the appearance of the Blessed Virgin in our Coptic Orthodox Church in Zeitoun (Cairo). On April 27, 1968, after you directed us, we went to the place where the church is located and began to talk with eyewitnesses. As a result of a survey of garage workers and the population of Zeytun - Christians and Muslims - we came to the conclusion that the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary was several times on the domes of the church from April 2 to today (May 5). Many people from different parts of the country saw the Virgin Mary and confirmed this in writing. Many enthusiastically sent us their letters with testimonies. We present to you these testimonies with our own evidence of what we saw with our own eyes.“.
Here is an excerpt from the message of the Bishop of Athens, sent personally to Pope Cyril VI: “ The first thing we saw when we got here around 11 pm was something in the hole under the northwestern dome. A not very bright silhouette appeared at the bottom of the hole and began to grow slowly. At first I couldn't see it, but many people said they could see it. Finally, I began to distinguish him. He was visible for about twenty minutes, then disappeared. I told people that if there was nothing more, I couldn't write about it. We stood among the waiting crowd until 3.45. At this time, some of the people who came with me came running from the northern street running past the church and said: “Our Lady above the middle dome!” I was told that some clouds were covering the dome when suddenly what looked like a fluorescent light started lighting up the sky. And suddenly everyone saw that She was standing at her full height. I began to make my way towards the figure through the crowd. She was 15-18 feet above the dome, high above, full height, and looked like a phosphorescent statue, but was not frozen like a statue. Her body and clothes moved. It was very difficult for me to stand all the time in front of the figure, for the human wave pressed me from all sides. I think there were at least a hundred thousand people in the crowd. For an hour or so I watched the figure, I was carried out by the crowd right in front of it nine or ten times“.
According to the Benedictine monk Jerome Palmer, who also wrote a book on visions in Egypt, Christians and non-Christians alike testified that what they saw in Zeitoun led them to believe in God. “People,” he writes, “ began to think that Christianity is a new way, especially those who were previously non-believers. Definitely, faith in God and the supernatural increased“. At the same time, “ there were no messages in these apparitions, and even hundreds of messages could not have done what the visions in Zeitoun did“, the author summarizes.
The story of a famous Cairo surgeon: “ A patient of mine who I operated on for cancer two years ago came into my office three weeks ago for a check-up. After examination, I discovered 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 another exam. To my surprise, I could not find a tumor, but only a kind of white welt. The man told me that he was in Zeitoun and prayed to Our Lady for help. I don't believe in such miracles, but I can't explain the disappearance of the tumor and it's driving me crazy“.
The Cairo weekly “Watani” often wrote about numerous facts of healings. The weekly published many stories about the cures of hopelessly ill people accomplished by the grace of the Most Pure One. Many of the stories are amazingly touching. Others seem not to realize what happened. One of those miraculously healed, Mrs. Galila (two of her vertebrae were destroyed), tells about what happened: “ On the evening of Saturday, May 11, I went with my mother to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Zeitoun. I was burdened by pain and sorrow, my soul was drilled by despair from the awareness of the incurability of the disease. At half past eleven, a church employee saw how I was suffering, took pity on me and invited me to rest in his room. I tried to forget myself, but I couldn’t and returned to the churchyard. Spiritual bodies like doves flew in the sky above the church. At half past one in the morning I saw the Virgin Mary moving between the domes of the church. She was visible at full length; moving, She turned right and left, emitting light. The moon that night was full, but the light of the Blessed Virgin was brighter than the moonlight. Her head was crowned with a sparkling Crown. A quarter of an hour later, I felt a desire to remove the iron corset from my waist, lay down on the bed and fell into a peaceful sleep, after which I woke up without finding any traces of illness.“.
The paralyzed woman, Mahmoud Shukri Ibrahim, was seated on a chair in front of the temple. Seeing the Virgin Mary, she left on her own feet. Professor Shafik Abd-el-Malik claims that her paralysis was incurable and medical treatments were powerless in her case. Doctor William Nashed Zaki, who witnessed the apparition of the Virgin Mary, got rid of a hernia that he had suffered from for 12 years. A 20-year-old blind and mute girl, Madiha Mohammed Said, was brought by her brothers to the church, over which the Virgin Mary appeared. In the presence of many people, she regained her sight and shouted: “Virgo, Virgo!” 
The Zeytun phenomena are perhaps the most impressive and best documented “miracle” of our time. The shortest event lasted about a minute, and the longest took place on June 8, 1968 and lasted more than seven hours. The Virgin Mary appeared for the last time before pilgrims in Zeitoun on May 29, 1971.
The Coptic Orthodox Church built and consecrated two churches in honor of Our Lady of Zeitoun (feast day 2 April), one in France and the other in Vienna.
The Zeitoun miracle is not the only one that took place in the Coptic Church. Already in the 80s, a wonderful light began to be seen at night in the church of St. martyr Damiana in another Cairo district, Shubra. And in one of the most ancient Coptic churches in the name of St. mchch. Sergius and Bacchus, built over the cave where, according to legend, the Holy Family stayed, a Cross streams myrrh on a stone column.
Recently, miracles in Egypt have begun to resume. In 2000, apparitions of the Virgin Mary were observed in Asyut. According to the description of eyewitnesses, on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on August 19, at approximately 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 emanate. After this, the appearance of the Virgin Mary in the form of a star emitting bright light began above the middle cross. The volume and strength of this light began to increase until the figure of the Mother of God emerged. She began to move towards the northern bell tower, walked around it, and then headed again towards the cross. The Mother of God wore a blue head veil. Light emanated from Her most pure hands. The apparitions were repeated many times and, as in the case of the apparitions in Zeitoun, they were observed by thousands of believers. Also in 2002, with a large crowd of people and police (which were drawn in to avoid unrest), miraculous visions of the Virgin Mary were observed in the city of Omraniya, Giza district.
But for us, Orthodox Christians, the question remains - how do we relate to the Zeytun phenomenon? Judging by the fruits, they were the most joyful - many believed, were baptized, many healings occurred, some are still happening. On the other hand, everything happened in a church that, although it retained apostolic succession, was not in liturgical communion with the majority of Orthodox churches. Our Orthodox Greeks, more precisely the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt, turned away from this miracle. Because Copts are “monophysites”. In Russia, where atheism reigned in 1968, the miracles in Zeitoun were viewed quite differently from the very beginning. Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy I, having learned about these events and implying the degraded position of the Church in the USSR, said: “ Glory to God, it means we still have a future!“. Perhaps the Lord still does not abandon His mercy to this people, who live only thanks to their trust in Him?
Apparition of the Virgin Mary in Cairo December 11, 2009
In the poor district of Zeitoun, on the outskirts of Cairo, stands a Coptic Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, built on the site where, according to legend, the Holy Family rested during their flight to Egypt. Despite their small numbers among the Muslim world, the Copts have remained faithful to their Church, and in recent years a renewal of monasticism has begun, in particular in the ancient Nitrian Monasteries. The church in Zeytun was built in 1925 at the behest of the Mother of God herself, who appeared in a dream to the owner of the plot of land, Ibrahim Pasha. “You must build a Church for Me. If you do this, then in 50 years I will come here,” the Virgin Mary told him.
On the night of Thursday to Friday, December 11, 2009, thousands of residents of the Warraq Al-Hadar urban area in Cairo witnessed another miracle of the appearance of the Mother of God. An unusual light phenomenon resembling a human figure with a golden halo and a turquoise cape was seen above the roof of the temple. The phenomenon was observed from 01.00 to 04.00 and was recorded by eyewitnesses in photos and videos from different angles.
You can download computer wallpaper with the image of the Mother of God from this video: 1280x800 or 1024x768 (choose based on the proportions of your monitor). Since the quality of the video material is very poor, the photo wallpaper uses a higher quality photo of the temple over which the phenomenon occurred, filmed at another time, but the Virgin Mary herself is enlarged and taken from this wonderful video.
It was a strong light (and you can see it in this video), some passers-by also noticed a glow, as well as a certain "dove" (dove) circling over the temple. After 01:00, a figure directly identified with the Mother of God appeared, which began to move along the roof of the temple. A huge crowd quickly gathered around, singing songs and hymns in honor of the Mother of God. The unusual sight, visible very clearly and distinctly, shocked in its improbability and obviousness.
Below you can see a photograph of the temple itself, at the very top of which this unique phenomenon occurred (taken at another time, after the appearance of the Virgin Mary):
(temple where this miracle happened)
Coptic temples have a distinctive feature - their crosses consist of three crosshairs (visually similar to XYZ coordinates). And in the temple shown above, there are also the same crosses.
Video of the Virgin Mary (Angel) in Mexico City, February 25, 2008
This video was filmed in Mexico on February 25th. On approaching it one can discern the shining figure of a man with his arms spread to the sides. Some will see in her a heavenly Angel, some the Mother of God, and some Jesus Christ, but the authenticity of this video is impeccable, and it clearly points to a unique phenomenon.
Apparition of the Virgin Mary in Peru March 10, 2010
In the Peruvian city of Huancayo in the province of Chupac, an image of the Virgin Mary appeared on the trunk of a cherry tree. Its area is 40 by 15 centimeters. The image of the Virgin Mary was seen on March 10 in the garden of local resident Aliaga Orelan.
Artificial origin is completely excluded. On the eve of Catholic Easter, thousands of believers intend to visit the site of the miraculous appearance of the saint. Since then, about 4 thousand people have already seen the cherry tree. Believers came with flowers to lay them at the tree with an unusual image.
Miracle in Zeitoun - the appearance of the Virgin MaryAt the height of the Cold War, at the turn of the 60s and 70s. The stunning news of the appearance of the Mother of God to thousands of people in Egyptian Zeitoun (a suburb of Cairo) spread around the world. Numerous photographs were taken showing the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus in her arms, glowing doves, and huge flashes of light. In the USSR, behind the Iron Curtain, these miracles were perceived by believers as a sign of the imminent end of the godless regime. However, even now few people know about this amazing historical phenomenon.
A Russian pilgrim who has climbed into the mountains near Damascus to visit the monastery of St. Thekla may be surprised by the reverence with which Orthodox nuns treat the “Coptic” icon of the “Miracle of the Mother of God in Zeytun”. Its iconography may seem very unusual to an Orthodox person. The Blessed Virgin in a halo of golden stars hovers over the dome of the temple, sheaves of light beat from her outstretched palms. You will see the same icons in the Greek churches of the Holy Land and, of course, in Egypt itself. The veneration of the “Coptic” icon of the Mother of God of Zeytun is widespread in the Orthodox Middle East.
The small five-domed Church of Our Lady in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun stands in the shadow of a huge modern cathedral. Three decades ago, perhaps the most impressive events in the history of Christianity took place here. On April 2, 1968, the Muslim workers of the bus depot, located next to the temple, saw a strange sight - a translucent female figure stood on the roof of the church, from which a glow emanated. At first they did not understand, but then they were horrified. The people who came running saw the Mother of God on the roof - such as She is depicted on the icons in the deesis tier of the iconostasis, praying in front of the cross of the temple, from which radiance also emanated. The photographers who arrived took the first shots. News of the phenomenon spread throughout the Coptic neighborhoods.
People walked and walked to the temple, quickly named Apparition church. On some days the phenomenon was repeated. They began to bring the sick, and miraculous healings from cancer and tuberculosis began to occur. They prayed in the temple every day. On some days, a luminous dove was visible above the figure of the Virgin, in the sky - the image of the Cross.
The Coptic people, quite depressed from the hardships of the recent war, perked up. People knew who was praying for them.
The whole world soon learned about the wonderful events. Hundreds of thousands of people, including many photojournalists and journalists, witnessed the phenomena, which continued continuously for three years. However, in our country, which was then behind the Bolshevik Iron Curtain, practically nothing is known about all these events. The testimony of numerous witnesses was summarized by the journalist Francis Johnson in his book When Millions Saw the Virgin Mary, which went through five reprints.
The author draws attention to the fact that the apparitions took place over and around the church in Zeitoun, a business suburb of Cairo, lying in close proximity to the route followed by the Holy Family during their flight to Egypt. The land on which the church stands originally belonged to a Coptic family named Khalil. In 1920, the Mother of God appeared to one of his family members in a dream and ordered to build a temple on this site. The temple was erected in 1925 and after that the lane became known as Khalil Lane (Khalil Lane). And now, 50 years later, the Blessed Virgin seemed to bless the temple in this way.
The previous appearance of Our Lady was in 1962 in Soviet Lithuania. The Blessed Virgin then said that next time She would come to Egypt.
The first vision in Zeitoun, as already mentioned, happened on the evening of April 2, 1968, at 20.30. This is what the Muslim workers said when they arrived for their usual shift at the gates of their garage, which is opposite St. Mary's Church. Rush hour had already passed, and in the growing darkness there was only one car on the street and a few women walking on the side illuminated by the lamp. Suddenly, some movement above the middle dome of the temple attracted the attention of the women. Two workers put down their cups of tea and froze in amazement - the kneeling “white lady” stood next to the cross at the top of the dome. One of the workers, named Farukh, pointed with his bandaged finger (which was to be amputated the next day) and shouted with all his might, thinking that the girl wanted to throw herself down: “Lady! Don't jump! Don't jump! Driven by a feeling of despair, he rushed to call the firefighters and police, and several of his comrades rushed to call the priest Father Konstantin.
At this moment, the “Lady”, dressed in clothes shimmering with light, stood up. One of the women below shouted in Arabic, suddenly inspired: “Our Mother of God Mary!” As soon as this exclamation escaped her lips, a flock of white doves appeared from nowhere and began to hover next to the vision. Moments later, the unusual vision faded into the darkened skies, leaving the onlookers stunned and speechless.
The next morning, when Farukh, an eyewitness worker, arrived at the hospital for surgery, the surgeon was amazed to see the finger completely healthy. This was the first known miracle of healing in Zeitoun.
A brief account of the first vision was published in an issue of the Cairo newspaper Wantani. A week later, a second vision occurred, then another, and another, in quick succession. They always took place 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." Minutes later, a flock of glowing doves would appear and fly around the floodlit church. Eyewitnesses describe them as strange birds, seemingly made of light, that flew with amazing speed, but did not flap their wings. Sometimes seven or more birds flew in the shape of a cross. Then they formed a flock and suddenly disappeared, as if snow flakes were melting.
Soon, a blinding flash of light seemed to be sucked into the church roof. As the light diminished, it took on the shape of the Mother of God. She was always dressed in long clothes and a head covering of bluish-white light. The folds of clothing fluttered in the warm wind. There was a dazzling halo-like light around the head. It was so strong that it made it almost impossible to distinguish facial features. The vision glided effortlessly through the domes and greeted the crowd below. Suddenly She could appear above or between the palm trees in the church courtyard, or appear as a ball of light on one of the 4 corner domes, or at the stone arches supporting them. The frequency of visions varied. In the first days, the appearance of the Mother of God occurred almost every night, sometimes several times during the night hours. Therefore, many hundreds of observers could quickly run home and bring their relatives or neighbors here. Over time, however, the visions began to appear less frequently. From time to time the Blessed Virgin could be seen with the baby Jesus in her arms, or with Saint Joseph together with Christ - a child of about 12 years old.
News of the visions spread like fire, causing a wave of great excitement among an incredible multitude of Christians, Muslims, Jews and even unbelievers. The crowds that gathered at night reached 250 thousand people. Each appearance of the Mother of God was accompanied by deafening screams and cries of a huge number of people besieging the church from all sides: “We believe in You, Holy Mary! We bear witness to You, Holy Mary!”
Scores of Muslims, kneeling on their mats, recited verses from the Koran in honor of St. Mary (Islam has a certain reverence for the Virgin Mary and recognizes the Immaculate Conception of Christ). Others prayed in unison with Catholics, Copts and Protestants. For the first time in history, Christians and Muslims prayed together in such large numbers.
In the early hours, photographer Wagih Rizq Matta successfully photographed the apparition for the first time. “The phenomenon,” he says, “was so sharp that it blinded my eyes. It was like I was shocked by an electric shock. I clicked the camera several times and suddenly discovered that my sore arm was healed.” The growing number of other healings prompted the Coptic church authorities to even organize a special Medical Committee to investigate cases of healings.
Bishop Gregory, head of the Academy of Coptic Culture and Scientific Research: “These events have no equal in the past, either in the East or in the West. One day I saw the heavens open, and Saint Mary appeared in this gap. She looked taller than an ordinary human figure, young, beautiful and radiant. She had something like a veil on her head. She looked in the direction of the cross on the dome of the main temple. She looked like a grieving Mother. She didn't look happy. She stood there for 2 or 3 hours. Sometimes She moved slowly. At times She had an olive branch in Her right hand, and at other times She raised both hands in prayer. Sometimes the Mother of God appeared with the Child Christ in her arms - then she looked happy, sometimes she smiled. She was always gracious. Then She returned to the dome, the figure turned into a luminous ball and melted into the darkness.”
Bishop Athanasius of Beni Zuif: “It was difficult to stand straight in front of the church all the time, as waves of people pushed me from all sides. The Virgin Mary was 5-6 meters above the dome, high in the sky, in full height, like a phosphorescent statue, but she was not lifeless. Movement of the body and folds of clothing was noticeable. She made a gesture with her hand, blessing the people. It was something supernatural, something very, very heavenly.”
On May 5, 1968, a special committee of hierarchs of the Coptic Church addressed their Pope Cyril VI:
“We have the great honor to present to Your Eminence these studies concerning the appearance of the Blessed Virgin in our Coptic Orthodox church in Zeitoun (Cairo). On April 27, 1968, after you directed us, we went to the place where the church is located and began to talk with eyewitnesses. As a result of a survey of garage workers, the population of Zeytun - Christians and Muslims - we came to the conclusion that the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary was several times on the domes of the church from April 2 to today (May 5). Many people from different parts of the country saw the Virgin Mary and confirmed this in writing. Many enthusiastically sent us their letters with testimonies. We present this testimony to you with our own evidence of what we saw with our own eyes.”
This is what Fr. said about the Zeytun miracle. Nikolai, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the city of Vidnoye: “In order not to accidentally reject the miracle shown to us from above, we need to look at the fruits. That is, on what consequences the Zeytun events had. Did the events that took place in the Coptic Church lead to a strengthening of faith among people? It is necessary, without rejecting, to carefully study everything connected with these phenomena, otherwise we risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater.”
According to the Benedictine monk Jerome Palmer, who also wrote a book on visions in Egypt, Christians and non-Christians alike testified that what they saw in Zeitoun led them to believe in God. “People,” he writes, “began to think that Christianity was a new way, especially those who had previously been unbelievers. Definitely, faith in God and the supernatural increased.” At the same time, “there were no messages in these phenomena, and even hundreds of messages could not have done what the visions in Zeitoun did,” the author summarizes.
The Zeitoun miracle is not the only one that took place in the Coptic Church. Already in the 80s, a wonderful light began to be seen at night in the church of St. martyr Damiana in another Cairo district, Shubra. And in one of the most ancient Coptic churches in the name of St. mchch. Sergius and Bacchus, built over the cave where, according to legend, the Holy Family stayed, a Cross streams myrrh on a stone column.
Hegumen Barsanuphius (Khaibulin) shared his thoughts and memories of the Zeytun phenomena:
“Recently, miracles in Egypt have begun to resume. In 2000, apparitions of the Virgin Mary were observed in Asyut. According to the description of eyewitnesses, on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, on August 19, at approximately 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 emanate. After this, the appearance of the Virgin Mary in the form of a star emitting bright light began above the middle cross. The volume and strength of this light began to increase until the figure of the Mother of God emerged. She began to move towards the northern bell tower, walked around it, and then headed again towards the cross. The Mother of God wore a blue head veil. Light emanated from Her most pure hands. The apparitions were repeated many times and, as in the case of the apparitions in Zeitoun, they were observed by thousands of believers. Also in 2002, with a large crowd of people and police (who were drawn in to avoid unrest), miraculous visions of the Virgin Mary were observed in the city of Omraniya, Giza district.
Our Orthodox Greeks, more precisely the Patriarchate of Alexandria in Egypt, turned away from this miracle. Because Copts are “monophysites”.
In Russia, where atheism reigned in 1968, the miracles in Zeitoun were viewed quite differently from the very beginning. As I was told, even the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy I himself, having learned about these events and implying the degraded position of the Church in the USSR, said: “Glory to God, that means we still have a future!” And this opinion was shared and continues to be shared by many among the clergy, including the episcopate. So, according to my information, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk treats the Zeytun events with great respect.”
This miracle became an integral part of the life of the Coptic Church, which is reflected in thousands of published books, photographs and icons. On one of these icons, the Mother of God is depicted with a halo of stars, surrounded by white doves hovering above her. Light emanates from the palms of the Virgin Mary.
The Zeytun phenomena are perhaps the most impressive and best documented “miracle” of our time. How to relate to him is not easy to answer, because the opinions of leading theologians of our time and the hierarchs of the Orthodox Church differ. In such cases, the Holy Fathers of the Church advised accepting without accepting, that is, neither accepting nor rejecting, remaining consciously in a state of ignorance, away from the excitement and noise, outside the construction of their theories and opinions, so as not to be mistaken. After all, the spiritual world is still incomprehensible and mysterious for all of us...
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Coptic Church - the cradle of Eastern monasticism
Egypt was one of the first countries where the light of Christianity shone. The labors of the Apostle Mark, who suffered martyrdom in Egypt, bore rich fruit: churches quickly grew throughout the country. There were many churches in the Nile Valley; ancient Coptic monasteries and churches have survived to this day.
The Coptic Church belongs to the family of ancient Eastern Churches, which also includes the Armenian, Ethiopian, Syro-Jacobite, etc. These Churches are called “pre-Chalcedonian” because during the period of theological disputes they did not accept the decisions of the IV Ecumenical Council, which took place in Chalcedon in 451 . Initially, the Coptic Church was part of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, but after the election of the first Coptic Patriarch Theodosius (536–538) it finally separated from it and became an independent national Church.
The very name “Coptic Church” speaks of its antiquity. The word "Copt" comes from the Arabic "qubt" - a corruption of the Greek name for Egypt - Aiguptos. And it, in turn, goes back to “Ha-Ka-Ptah” - the ancient cult name of Memphis. As the outstanding Russian orientalist Boris Aleksandrovich Turaev noted at the beginning of the twentieth century, “about a million descendants of subjects of the ancient pharaohs, fellow tribesmen of St. Anthony and Pachomius the Great, still proudly call themselves “Orthodox Egyptians.” Currently, the number of Copts living in Egypt, according to various estimates, reaches 5–7 million people. Copts live according to their own calendar, which follows the calendar of the pharaohs. A year consists of 12 months of 30 days and one month of 5 days (6 days in a leap year). Christmas is celebrated on January 7, Epiphany on January 19. The celebration of Easter does not have a fixed date.
History does not know many cases when the Blessed Virgin appeared to ordinary people. Apparitions of the Mother of God also occurred in the 20th century. Some of them were even captured on film or video camera. We have selected three of the most impressive stories that will not leave anyone indifferent.
History of the Painted Image on Mount Athos
September 3 in the Orthodox calendar is marked by the feast of the unusual image of the Mother of God, called the Light-Painted. On it the Blessed Virgin is depicted with a loaf of bread in her hands. The name “Painting with Light” is no coincidence: “painting with light” is a literal translation from the Greek word “photography.” And it is with photography that his story is connected.
The events that we will talk about took place in 1903 on Holy Mount Athos and are considered, perhaps, one of the most famous apparitions 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 the nomadic monks on Athos, called Siromakhs, and others in need. 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 Mount Athos, decided to stop the distribution of alms, since it corrupts those asking. It was on this day, September 3, 1903, that the monks decided to distribute the last alms, after which they read out the resolution of Kinot.
At the time of the distribution of alms, a certain monk named Gabriel took a photograph with beggars who received alms in the form of flatbread - chereks. However, no one expected that during the development of the negative, the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary would appear in the photograph, standing with the poor 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.
At the site of the described event in 2011, a chapel was built and a source was drawn to it, and a temple was erected in honor of the Icon of Light. For a long time, the original negative of the photograph itself was lost due to many events that befell the monastery. And only last year it was found again in the archives of the monastery.
The longest apparition of the Mother of God in Zeitoun
Unfortunately, very little is known about this phenomenon in our country. 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 Zeitoun 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. That evening, two car park workers 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 commit suicide and began to shout, persuading Her not to do this. 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.
The phenomenon in Zeytun was repeated a week later, and then occurred at different intervals until May 29, 1971. It lasted for 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 subsequently 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 long clothes with a covering on her head. A halo shone around the head, behind which it was impossible to distinguish facial features. Sometimes She was 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 turned and blessed 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. Any novelist or screenwriter could envy her plot. But the most surprising thing about the story, perhaps, is that all this actually happened. And although the appearance of the Mother of God was witnessed by one person, himself a participant in the events, 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 publicized by some 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 sources mention his name: Shahid D.
Shortly before the events described, he successfully married. The marriage of a young wealthy family was marred by only one thing: they had no children. The 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 Damascus, Syria, to relieve 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 the reason for it. Then the guide advised us to visit the Seydnaya Orthodox monastery, famous for its miraculous icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 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, in front of 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 if their problem was resolved favorably, they would generously reward the driver with twenty thousand dollars and donate four times as much to the monastery itself.
And a miracle happened! Soon 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 benefits that the Most Holy Theotokos provided to the non-Christian. Shahid did not forget about his promise and warned the driver that he would soon come to 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 unexpectedly intervened. On the way on the highway, the criminals' car broke down.
One driver passing by offered them his help, 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 argument, the criminals had to open the trunk...
But what was everyone’s surprise when a living sheikh came out of the trunk with the words: “The Most Holy Theotokos just gave me the last stitch here!” He pointed to his neck. The three attackers immediately lost their minds, which led them to admit that they had killed this man. They were placed in a prison for the insane.
Doctors confirmed an extraordinary incident: the stitches turned out to be completely fresh. Moreover, even the thinnest and most delicate vessels were connected, which was impossible to accomplish using conventional medical means. The sheikh, brought back to life, in gratitude for this, donated ten times more to the monastery than he had previously promised.
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 up about it, fearing the conversion of even more Muslims to Christianity.
You will learn more about one of the described miracles from the video:
