Coming Soon … A more detailed Chronology of the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun
1924
The Church of St. Mary in Zeitoun was built after the Virgin Mary appeared in a vision or dream around 1918 to a wealthy family member who was facing a family crisis. St.Mary instructed him to build a Coptic church on that site and promised to bless it within fifty years. The church was completed in 1924.
1925
The Church of the Virgin Mary was built in 1925 and designed by the Italian architect Limofili in an architectural style inspired by the famous Agia Sophia in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). It was inaugurated by the blessed Bishop Athanasius, the former Metropolitan of Beni Suef. The first priest to serve there was the late Rev. Father Daniel Messiah.
10 June 1967
On the night of June 10, when Cairo was completely dark because of the air raids and lighting was forbidden at night, the whole church was suddenly filled with a radiant light from within. It was eight o’clock in the evening, and no one was inside the church at that time at all.
The workers from the nearby Public Transport Authority’s garage shouted, “Turn off the lights!” and ran to my house. I went with them to the church, unlocked the door with my key, and found the switches were already switched off. Yet, a brilliant light of unknown origin filled the entire nave for about two minutes before fading and returning the church to darkness once again.
2 April 1968
The First Appearance of the Virgin in Zeitoun
13 April 1968
“Photojournalist Wajih Rizk succeeded in capturing the first documented photograph of the apparition of the Virgin Mary above the domes of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, Cairo.
The original film was examined by Al-Ahram’s photography department and found to be authentic and free of any technical tampering. The photograph was published in the Sunday issue of May 5, 1968.”
14 April 1968
Watani is the first newspaper to publish the news
21 April 1968
Al-Jumhouria is the first national newspaper to publish the news
23 April 1968
Formation of an official papal committee consisting of Bishop Girgis Matta, Director of the Papal Office, Bishop Youhanan Abdel Masih, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Ecclesiastical Affairs, and Bishop Benjamin Kamel, Secretary of His Holiness the Pope, to verify the apparition
27 April 1968
Al-Ahram 27 April First Statement: The Virgin Saint appeared 24 times and an investigation about the apparition
29 April 1968
Anba Athanassos goes to a delegation from the Patriarchate to confirm the event and presents Pope Cyril VI with his testimony: how he saw the Mother of Light
30 April 1968
The Director of Information and Complaints at the Ministry of Tourism presents the report on the appearance of the Virgin Mary
4 May 1968
The Ministry of Tourism issued its report at a press conference held at 1:00 p.m.
On the night of May 4 and 5, Bishops Gregory and Samuel visited Zeitoun, where they witnessed the apparition of the Virgin Mary.
The papal statement was read in all Coptic churches, announcing Pope Cyril VI’s decision to add the Feast of the Apparition of the Virgin in Zeitoun to the Church’s official celebrations and to include it in the Synaxarion.
5 May 1968
The news spreads at lightning speed in local newspapers and magazines and some international newspapers
Saad Zayed, the Governor of Cairo, visited the church accompanied by Major General Mahmoud El-Sibai, Director of Cairo Security. He ordered the formation of a committee to organize the visits and prepare a development plan for the surrounding area.
6 May 1968
Al-Ahram newspaper … The news of the start of the committee to collect documents ordered by Pope Cyril VI, which is headed by Bishop Gregory and Engineer Fawzi Mansour, has been published.
8 May 1968
The Public Transport Authority’s garage was removed, and the land was allocated for foreign visitors, patients, and vehicle parking.
11 May 1968
On May 11, His Holiness Pope Cyril VI gave his first interview to a reporter from Akhbar Al-Youm, in which he described the apparition.
15 May 1968
His Holiness the Pope’s visit to the Church of the Olive at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15
20 May 1968
At noon on Monday, El-Khoury Ibrahim Ayad, President of the Latin Ecclesiastical Council in Beirut, arrived in Cairo from Lebanon.
That same week, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Greece visited the church and, after the visit, returned to Athens.
26 May 1968
The name of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun was officially added to the list of shrines of the Holy Journey.
24 June 1968
The relics of St. Mark arrived in Cairo from Rome, where they were received at the airport by His Holiness Pope Cyril VI and representatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The deacons welcomed them with hymns, and two doves appeared at the airport that night. Many dignitaries attended and later visited the Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun.
25 June 1968
The consecration of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Abbassia was held in the presence of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and leaders of various Christian denominations. The event provided an opportunity for the heads of these churches to visit the Church of Zeitoun and receive its blessing.
18 August 1968
Watani newspaper recorded the number of apparitions, noting that Mrs. Pearl Zaki — author of Before Our Eyes — witnessed the final apparition on August 19, 1968, shortly before returning to her home country, the United States.
19 August 1968
On the same day, the Catholic nun A.H. began her visits to the church, continuing for 108 consecutive nights and documenting each one in Zeitoun.
2 February 1969
Jerome Palmer, a Benedictine monk and author of Our Lady Returns to Egypt, later visited Zeitoun to investigate the authenticity of the apparitions.
2 April 1969
More than a quarter of a million people gathered at the Church of Zeitoun to celebrate the first Feast of the Apparition of the Virgin Mary. Bishop Agapius of Deirout delivered the message of His Holiness Pope Cyril VI on this historic occasion.
2 April 1970
“His Holiness Pope Cyril VI visited the church at dawn on Thursday, April 2, where he prayed and blessed the newly completed facilities, commemorating the anniversary of the first apparition at this holy site.
The celebrations were presided over by the venerable bishops: Anba Athanasius, Anba Maximus (Bishop of Qalyubia), Anba Agapius, Anba Dioscorus, and Anba Shenouda (Bishop of Religious Education).”
29 May 1971
Unexpectedly, another apparition of the Virgin took place, reported on September 19 in the widely circulated American newspaper National Enquirer.
May 1973
In May 1973, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III visited Rome and met with Pope Paul VI — the first meeting between the Bishop of Rome and the Bishop of Alexandria in 1,600 years. During this meeting, Pope Shenouda III spoke about the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Egypt.
1973
That same year, artist, Mr. Sabri Ragheb painted an image of the Virgin Mary based on how he had seen her during the 1968 apparitions at the Church of Zeitoun.