Marian apparition

Also excluded from the category of apparitions are dreams, visions experienced in the imagination, the claimed perception of Mary in ordinarily-explainable natural phenomena, and miracles associated with Marian artwork, such as weeping statues.

However, such miraculous events are not considered the purpose of Marian apparitions, but are alleged to exist primarily to validate and draw attention to the message.

Others recur over an extended period of time, such as Our Lady of Laus (France, 17th/18th centuries), whose seer claimed 54 years of appearances.

In rare cases, a physical artifact is reportedly left behind, such as the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico, 1531), which is said to have been miraculously imprinted on the cloak of Juan Diego.

Pope Leo XIII, for example, authorized the use of a scapular described in the messages of Our Lady of Pellevoisin (France, 1876),[10] but did not pass judgment on the supernatural character of the apparition itself.

[11] Under the new norms, a bishop or national conference will not make a declaration that these phenomena are of supernatural origin, but indicate by a "nihil obstat" (meaning "no objection") that they find no problematic elements with a reported phenomenon.

[16] Recently rejected apparition claims include those of "Our Lady of Surbiton", denounced as fraudulent in 2007,[17] and those associated with Holy Love Ministries in Elyria, Ohio, condemned in 2009.

The most-visited Marian shrine in the world is the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which draws 10 million pilgrims each year.

[22] "When Marian apparitions occur, Mary addresses those who see her in their native language, and often promulgates a particular image of herself that incorporates elements of the local culture.

The Marian Vision of Saint Bernard , by Fra Bartolommeo , c. 1504 . Uffizi, Florence
Our Lady of Guadalupe is widely considered integral to the cultural identity of Mexico and Latin American culture .
Statue of Our Lady of La Salette , an 1846 apparition reported to have occurred in France
Jetzer being tricked. Jetzer was a Dominican friar in Bern , and some of his brothers tricked him into thinking he was receiving a revelation from the Virgin Mary. Eventually he realized the truth. As punishment for this scandal, four Dominicans were burned at the stake by order of Pope Julius II with an audience of 30,000 people on May 1, 1509. [ 6 ]
In Marpingen , Germany , Our Lady is said to have appeared several times to three groups of visionaries: in 1876–1877, then in 1934–1936, and in 1999. The investigation performed by the Bishop of Trier after the last apparition concluded in 2005 that "the events in Marpingen cannot be confirmed as being of supernatural origin". [ 15 ]