Apparition of 13 October
1917
During the night
of 12-13 October it had rained throughout, soaking the ground and the pilgrims
who make their way to Fátima from all directions by the thousands. By foot, by
cart and even by car they came, entering the bowl of the Cova from the
Fátima-Leiria road, which today still passes in front of the large square of the
Basilica. From there they made their way down the gently slope to the place
where a trestle had been erected over the little holm oak of the apparitions.
Today on the site is the modern glass and steel Capelhina (little chapel),
enclosing the first chapel built there and the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary
of Fátima where the holm oak had stood.
As for the children, they made their way
to the Cova amid the adulation and skepticism which had followed them since May.
When they arrived they found critics who questioned their veracity and the
punctuality of the Lady, who had promised to arrive at noon. It was well passed
noon by the official time of the country. However, when the sun arrived at its
zenith the Lady appeared as she had said she would.
Video
“What do you want
of me?”
I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the
Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their
homes.
“Yes. Yes.”
“Will you tell me your name?”
I am the Lady of the Rosary.
“I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them? ”
Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives
and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is
already too much offended!
“And is that all you have to ask?”
There is nothing more.
As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her
hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to
obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft
spinning disk of silver.
“Look at the sun!”
From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of
the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by
the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs.
After our Lady had disappeared into the
immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and
Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the
Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross
with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our
Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors).
Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done.
This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time
resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia would see the later, presaging her
entrance into Carmel some years later.]
This would be the last of the apparitions
of Fátima for Jacinta and Francisco. However, for Lucia Our Lady would return a
seventh time, in 1920, as she had promised the previous May. At that time Lucia
would be praying in the Cova before leaving Fátima for a girls boarding school.
The Lady would come to urge her to dedicate herself wholly to
God.
As the children viewed the various
apparitions of Jesus, Mary and Joseph the crowd witnessed a different prodigy,
the now famous miracle of the sun. Among the witnesses there were the
following:
O Seculo (a pro-government, anti-clerical, Lisbon paper):
From the road, where the vehicles were parked and where hundreds of people
who had not dared to brave the mud were congregated, one could see the immense
multitude turn toward the sun, which appeared free from clouds and in its
zenith. It looked like a plaque of dull silver, and it was possible to look at
it without the least discomfort. It might have been an eclipse which was taking
place. But at that moment a great shout went up, and one could hear the
spectators nearest at hand shouting: “A miracle! A miracle!
Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose aspect was biblical as they
stood bareheaded, eagerly searching the sky, the sun trembled, made sudden
incredible movements outside all cosmic laws—the sun “danced” according to the
typical expression of the people.
Standing at the step of an omnibus was an old man. With his face turned to
the sun, he recited the Credo in a loud voice. I asked who he was and was told
Senhor Joao da Cunha Vasconcelos. I saw him afterwards going up to those around
him who still had their hats on, and vehemently imploring them to uncover before
such an extraordinary demonstration of the existence of God.
Identical scenes were repeated elsewhere, and in one place a woman cried out:
“How terrible! There are even men who do not uncover before such a stupendous
miracle!”
People then began to ask each other what they had seen. The great majority
admitted to having seen the trembling and the dancing of the sun; others
affirmed that they saw the face of the Blessed Virgin; others, again, swore that
the sun whirled on itself like a giant Catherine wheel and that it lowered
itself to the earth as if to burn it in its rays. Some said they saw it change
colors successively….
O Dia (another Lisbon daily, edition of 17 October 1917):
“At one o’clock in the afternoon, midday by the sun, the rain stopped. The
sky, pearly grey in colour, illuminated the vast arid landscape with a strange
light. The sun had a transparent gauzy veil so that the eyes could easily be
fixed upon it. The grey mother-of-pearl tone turned into a sheet of silver which
broke up as the clouds were torn apart and the silver sun, enveloped in the same
gauzy grey light, was seen to whirl and turn in the circle of broken clouds. A
cry went up from every mouth and people fell on their knees on the muddy
ground….
The light turned a beautiful blue, as if it had come through the
stained-glass windows of a cathedral, and spread itself over the people who
knelt with outstretched hands. The blue faded slowly, and then the light seemed
to pass through yellow glass. Yellow stains fell against white handkerchiefs,
against the dark skirts of the women. They were repeated on the trees, on the
stones and on the serra. People wept and prayed with uncovered heads, in the
presence of a miracle they had awaited. The seconds seemed like hours, so vivid
were they.
Ti Marto (father of Jacinta and Francisco)
We looked easily at the sun, which for some reason did not blind us. It
seemed to flicker on and off, first one way, then another. It cast its rays in
many directions and painted everything in different colors— the trees, the
people, the air and the ground. But what was most extraordinary, I thought, was
that the sun did not hurt our eyes. Everything was still and quiet, and everyone
was looking up. Then at a certain moment, the sun appeared to stop spinning. It
then began to move and to dance in the sky until it seemed to detach itself from
its place and fall upon us. It was a terrible moment.
Maria de Capelinha (one of the earliest believers):
The sun turned everything to different colours—yellow, blue and white. Then
it shook and trembled. It looked like a wheel of fire that was going to fall on
the people. They began to cry out, “We shall all be killed!” Others called to
our Lady to save them. They recited acts of contrition. One woman began to
confess her sins aloud, advertising that she had done this and that…. When at
last the sun stopped leaping and moving, we all breathed our relief. We were
still alive, and the miracle which the children had foretold, had been seen by
everyone.
I was looking at the place of the apparitions, in a serene, if cold,
expectation of something happening, and with diminishing curiosity, because a
long time had passed without anything to excite my attention. Then I heard a
shout from thousands of voices and saw the multitude suddenly turn its back and
shoulders away from the point toward which up to now it had directed its
attention, and turn to look at the sky on the opposite side.
It must have been nearly two o’clock by the legal time, and about midday by
the sun. The sun, a few moments before, had broken through the thick layer of
clouds which hid it, and shone clearly and intensely. I veered to the magnet
which seemed to be drawing all eyes, and saw it as a disc with a clean-cut rim,
luminous and shining, but which did not hurt the eyes. I do not agree with the
comparison which I have heard made in Fatima—that of a dull silver disc. It
was a clearer, richer, brighter colour, having something of the luster of a
pearl. It did not in the least resemble the moon on a clear night because one
saw it and felt it to be a living body. It was not spheric like the moon, nor
did it have the same colour, tone, or shading. It looked like a glazed wheel
made of mother-of-pearl. It could not be confused, either, with the sun seen
through fog (for there was no fog at the time), because it was not opaque,
diffused or veiled. In Fatima it gave light and heat and appeared clear-cut with
a well-defined rim.
The sky was mottled with light cirrus clouds with the blue coming through
here and there, but sometimes the sun stood out in patches of clear sky. The
clouds passed from west to east and did not obscure the light of the sun, giving
the impression of passing behind it, though sometimes these flecks of white took
on tones of pink or diaphanous blue as they passed before the sun.
It was a remarkable fact that one could fix one’s eyes on this brazier of
heat and light without any pain in the eyes or blinding of the retina. The
phenomenon, except for two interruptions when the sun seemed to send out rays of
refulgent heat which obliged us to look away, must have lasted about ten
minutes.
The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a,
heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl. Then, suddenly, one
heard a clamour, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun,
whirling wildly, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance
threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge and fiery weight.
The sensation during those moments was terrible.
During the solar phenomenon, which I have just described in detail, there
were changes of colour in the atmosphere. Looking at the sun, I noticed that
everything around was becoming darkened. I looked first at the nearest objects
and then extended my glance further afield as far as the horizon. I saw
everything an amethyst colour. Objects around me, the sky and the atmosphere,
were of the same colour. An oak tree nearby threw a shadow of this colour on the
ground.
Fearing that I was suffering from an affection of the retina, an improbable
explanation because in that case one could not see things purple-colored, I
turned away and shut my eyes, keeping my hands before them to intercept the
light. With my back still turned, I opened my eyes and saw that the landscape
was the same purple colour as before.
The impression was not that of an eclipse, and while looking at the sun I
noticed that the atmosphere had cleared. Soon after I heard a peasant who was
near me shout out in tones of astonishment: “Look, that lady is all yellow!”
And in fact everything, both near and far, had changed, taking on the colour
of old yellow damask. People looked as if they were suffering from jaundice, and
I recall a sensation of amusement at seeing them look so ugly and unattractive.
My own hand was the same colour. All the phenomena which I have described were
observed by me in a calm and serene state of mind, and without any emotional
disturbance. It is for others to interpret and explain them.
Dr. Almeida Garrett, PhD (Coimbra University):
I was looking at the place of the apparitions, in a serene, if cold,
expectation of something happening, and with diminishing curiosity, because a
long time had passed without anything to excite my attention. Then I heard a
shout from thousands of voices and saw the multitude suddenly turn its back and
shoulders away from the point toward which up to now it had directed its
attention, and turn to look at the sky on the opposite side.
It must have been nearly two o’clock by the legal time, and about midday by
the sun. The sun, a few moments before, had broken through the thick layer of
clouds which hid it, and shone clearly and intensely. I veered to the magnet
which seemed to be drawing all eyes, and saw it as a disc with a clean-cut rim,
luminous and shining, but which did not hurt the eyes. I do not agree with the
comparison which I have heard made in Fátima—that of a dull silver disc. It
was a clearer, richer, brighter color, having something of the luster of a
pearl. It did not in the least resemble the moon on a clear night because one
saw it and felt it to be a living body. It was not spheric like the moon, nor
did it have the same color, tone, or shading. It looked like a glazed wheel made
of mother-of-pearl. It could not be confused, either, with the sun seen through
fog (for there was no fog at the time), because it was not opaque, diffused or
veiled. In Fátima it gave light and heat and appeared clear-cut with a
well-defined rim.
The sky was mottled with light cirrus clouds with the blue coming through
here and there, but sometimes the sun stood out in patches of clear sky. The
clouds passed from west to east and did not obscure the light of the sun, giving
the impression of passing behind it, though sometimes these flecks of white took
on tones of pink or diaphanous blue as they passed before the sun.
It was a remarkable fact that one could fix one’s eyes on this brazier of
heat and light without any pain in the eyes or blinding of the retina. The
phenomenon, except for two interruptions when the sun seemed to send out rays of
refulgent heat which obliged us to look away, must have lasted about ten
minutes.
The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a,
heavenly body, for it spun round on itself in a mad whirl. Then, suddenly, one
heard a clamor, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun, whirling
wildly, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly
upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge and fiery weight. The sensation
during those moments was terrible.
During the solar phenomenon, which I have just described in detail, there
were changes of color in the atmosphere. Looking at the sun, I noticed that
everything around was becoming darkened. I looked first at the nearest objects
and then extended my glance further afield as far as the horizon. I saw
everything an amethyst color. Objects around me, the sky and the atmosphere,
were of the same color. An oak tree nearby threw a shadow of this color on the
ground.
Fearing that I was suffering from an affection of the retina, an improbable
explanation because in that case one could not see things purple-colored, I
turned away and shut my eyes, keeping my hands before them to intercept the
light. With my back still turned, I opened my eyes and saw that the landscape
was the same purple color as before.
The impression was not that of an eclipse, and while looking at the sun I
noticed that the atmosphere had cleared. Soon after I heard a peasant who was
near me shout out in tones of astonishment: “Look, that lady is all yellow!”
And in fact everything, both near and far, had changed, taking on the color
of old yellow damask. People looked as if they were suffering from jaundice, and
I recall a sensation of amusement at seeing them look so ugly and unattractive.
My own hand was the same color. All the phenomena which I have described were
observed by me in a calm and serene state of mind, and without any emotional
disturbance. It is for others to interpret and explain them.
Dr. Domingos Coelho (reported in the newspaper Ordem):
The sun, at one moment surrounded with scarlet flame, at another aureoled in
yellow and deep purple, seemed to be in an exceedingly fast and whirling
movement, at times appearing to be loosened from the sky and to be approaching
the earth, strongly radiating heat.
Fr. Manuel Pereira da Silva (in a letter to a
friend)
The sun appeared with its circumference well defined.
It came down as if to the height of the clouds and began to whirl giddily upon
itself like a captive ball of fire. With some interruptions, this lasted about
eight minutes. The atmosphere darkened and the features of each became yellow.
Everyone knelt even in the mud….
Senhor Alfredo da Silva Santos
(Lisbon):
We made our arrangements, and went in three motor
cars on the early morning of the 13th. There was a thick mist, and the car which
went in front mistook the way so that we were all lost for a time and only
arrived at the Cova da Iria at midday by the sun. It was absolutely full of
people, but for my part I felt devoid of any religious feeling. When Lucia
called out: “Look at the sun!” the whole multitude repeated: “Attention to the
sun!” It was a day of incessant drizzle but a few moments before the miracle it
stopped raining. I can hardly find words to describe what followed. The sun
began to move, and at a certain moment appeared to be detached from the sky and
about to hurtle upon us like a wheel of flame. My wife—we had been married
only a short time- — fainted, and I was too upset to attend to her, and my
brother-in- law, Joao Vassalo, supported her on his arm. I fell on my knees,
oblivious of everything, and when I got up I don’t know what I said. I think I
began to cry out like the others. An old man with a white beard began to attack
the atheists aloud and challenged them to say whether or not something
supernatural had occurred.
There may have been many former atheists in Fátima
that day, but there were plenty in Portugal, nonetheless, to charge
hallucination. For those the Lady provided
witnesses who were not at the scene and could not have been subject to
collective suggestion.
Alfonso Lopes Vieira (observed the display from a distance of nearly
25 miles):
On that day of October 13, 1917, without remembering the predictions of the
children, I was enchanted by a remarkable spectacle in the sky of a kind I had
never seen before. I saw it from this veranda….
Fr. Ignacio Lorenco (Alburitel, 11 miles away):
I was only nine years old at this time, and I went to the local village
school. At about midday we were surprised by the shouts and cries of some men
and women who were passing in the street in front of the school. The teacher, a
good, pious woman, though nervous and impressionable, was the first to run into
the road, with the children after her.
Outside, the people were shouting and weeping and pointing to the sun,
ignoring the agitated questions of the schoolmistress. It was the great Miracle,
which one could see quite distinctly from the top of the hill where my village
was situated—the Miracle of the sun, accompanied by all its extraordinary
phenomena.
I feel incapable of describing what I saw and felt. I looked fixedly at the
sun, which seemed pale and did not hurt the eyes. Looking like a ball of snow
revolving on itself, it suddenly seemed to come down in a zigzag, menacing the
earth. Terrified, I ran and hid myself among the people, who were weeping and
expecting the end of the world at any moment.
Near us was an unbeliever who had spent the morning mocking at the simpletons
who had gone off to Fátima just to see an ordinary girl. He now seemed to be
paralyzed, his eyes fixed on the sun. Afterwards he trembled from head to foot
and lifting up his arms fell on his knees in the mud, crying out to our
Lady.
Meanwhile the people continued to cry out and to weep, asking God to pardon
their sins. We all ran to the two chapels in the village, which were soon filled
to overflowing. During those long moments of the solar prodigy, objects around
us turned all the colors of the rainbow. We saw ourselves blue, yellow, red,
etc. All these strange phenomena increased the fears of the people. After about
ten minutes the sun, now dull and pallid, returned to its place. When the people
realized that the danger was over, there was an explosion of joy, and everyone
joined in thanksgiving and praise to our Lady.
