Marian Apparitions Worldwide: The 10 Most Important Ones

The many names by which Christians address the Madonna largely derive from the numerous Marian apparitions around the world. Here are the most famous ones.

We dedicated a previous article to Marian titles, that is, the many names by which the Virgin Mary has been and is invoked by her devotees in Italy and worldwide. Some derive from the Holy Scriptures, others were attributed by theologians and Church Fathers, while others have developed over centuries through historical events, popular veneration, and even folklore. Still, others stem from attributes of Mary, such as the Immaculate Conception, which recalls the dogma stating her freedom from original sin even before her conception, or the Assumed Virgin, as she alone ascended to heaven body and soul to reunite with her Son. In addition to dogmatic, historical, and devotional Marian titles, there are also titles linked to images and sacred places, usually those where Marian apparitions occurred. Often, shrines and places of worship were built in these locations, and over time, the title given to the Madonna coincided with the name of the church or sanctuary. Think of the Madonna of Lourdes or that of Loreto, just to name two.

Buy Now:

Immaculate virgin with gold details 31 cm statue in painted resin

Immaculate virgin with gold details 31 cm statue in painted resin.

Many names, then, for one extraordinary woman, who, with a revolutionary act of faith, changed the fate of the entire world forever. By accepting to become the Mother of God, Mary agreed to be the Mother of all men, of every era, without distinctions, without borders, ready to offer relief to her afflicted children, to intercede for them with God the Father, with all the understanding and mercy that only a mother is capable of.

Let us then look at the ten appellations of Mary that arise from as many apparitions of the Madonna around the world, remembering that the Madonna is always one and only one and resides in every place, from the largest and most populous city to the most remote village, and even in lands where men rarely choose to tread. But she is there, everywhere, in the heart of those who need to turn to their Heavenly Mother. For our ‘journey’ through the places of Marian apparitions worldwide, we relied on the National Geographic World Map of Marian Apparitions, which collects the places where the Madonna has manifested herself through the centuries.

Madonna of Loreto in Italy

In Loreto, in the province of Ancona, since the 4th century AD, there has been the Basilica of the Holy House, one of the main Marian pilgrimage sites in our country. Here, devotion to the Madonna of Loreto, mother of Jesus, Virgin Lauretana, developed. This is not exactly a place where a Marian apparition occurred but something more particular. The basilica dedicated to the Madonna of Loreto contains what are universally considered the remains of the Holy House of Mary in Nazareth, where she was born and received the visit of the Archangel Gabriel. The translation of the Holy House is said to have occurred by the hands of Angels on May 10, 1291. First, it was brought to the Dalmatian mountains, then near Recanati, in a forest belonging to a woman named Loreta. There was also an apparition of the Madonna to a faithful follower, to whom she revealed that it was indeed her house, followed by many miracles confirming the sanctity of the place.

The Madonna of Loreto is celebrated particularly on December 10. She is the patron saint of the Marche region and several Italian municipalities, as well as the protector of aviators and aviation due to the fascinating legend of the Translation of the Holy House.

Madonna of Czestochowa in Poland

The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, or Black Virgin of Częstochowa, owes its name to a medieval Byzantine icon, part of the so-called Black Madonnas. These are representations of the Madonna with a dark or even black face, usually darkened by smoke or the effects of oxidation on the original colors. The Black Madonna of Czestochowa depicts a Madonna with the Child in her arms and, like many Black Madonnas, is attributed to St. Luke the Evangelist. In the 15th century, during the Hussite wars, it was severely damaged by axe blows, which allegedly caused it to bleed. A central figure in battles and legends, the icon of the Black Madonna is a reference point for all Poles who go to the Jasna Góra Sanctuary to pray to their dark-faced Mother in times of difficulty and dramatic decisions. She is celebrated on August 26.

Buy Now:

Our Lady of Czestochowa 25 cm in mother-of-pearl plaster

The statue is a half-bust. Mary and Baby Jesus are both wearing pink clothes    with golden hems.

Madonna of the Pillar in Spain

On October 12, the liturgical memory of Our Lady of the Pillar (Virgen del Pilar or Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is celebrated, venerated in Zaragoza in the sanctuary that bears her name and, consequently, throughout the world. Patroness of the Hispanic peoples, she owes her name to the ‘pilar,’ a miraculous pillar given by the Virgin Mary to the Apostle James, who had come to the Iberian Peninsula to preach the Word of God, to give him strength and support. The pillar is said to be the one atop which Mary appeared to the discouraged Apostle, ready to give up his mission. It is noteworthy that while James encountered the Virgin in the Iberian Peninsula, she was still alive in Palestine! Mary promised that if he built a sanctuary in her honor, she would guarantee healing and salvation for anyone seeking refuge there. The gigantic Sanctuary of the Virgen del Pilar in Zaragoza is the oldest in Spain, and the apparition of the Madonna to James is considered the first Marian apparition. It still houses the legendary pillar, in the same spot where Mary is said to have appeared to James. The pillar is actually an alabaster column later covered in bronze and silver.

Buy Now:

Our Lady of the Pillar 25 cm green coloured stone Bethléem

Statue made by the nuns of the monastery of Bethléem (France).

Madonna of Lourdes in France

Catholics refer to Mary as the Madonna of Lourdes or Our Lady of Lourdes to recall the eighteen apparitions of the Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous, a fourteen-year-old peasant girl living in the French town of Lourdes. In 1858, the girl reported seeing a “beautiful Lady” dressed in white with a blue sash in a cave near Massabielle. The Sanctuary of the Madonna of Lourdes is now one of the most visited in the world, and the description of the Madonna provided by Bernadette has defined the most widespread and recurring iconography of Mary.

Buy Now:

Our Lady of Lourdes wooden statue painted

Our Lady of Lourdes wooden statue made in Val Gardena, Italy.

Madonna of Altötting in Germany

On May 27, the Madonna of Altötting, the Black Madonna symbolizing the Sanctuary of Altötting in Bavaria, is celebrated. Here, the hearts of all the kings of Bavaria are kept in precious silver urns. The Madonna appeared in Altötting twice in 1489. She is said to have brought back to life a three-year-old boy who had fallen into a river. For over 500 years, pilgrims have visited the sanctuary, obtaining graces and miraculous healings. Altötting, Lourdes, Fatima, Czestochowa, and Loreto are the five so-called European Sanctuaries.

Buy Now:

Virgin of Altotting wooden statue painted

Virgin of Altotting wooden statue made in Val Gardena, Italy. Statue in maple wood completely worked and hand painted by Italian craftsmen.

Madonna of Fatima in Portugal

On May 13, the Madonna of Fatima is celebrated, who appeared six times in 1917 to three children tending a flock near Fatima. Beautiful, dressed in white, and shining like a star, the Virgin had blooming roses adorning her feet, a golden cord as a belt, and a gold-embroidered veil on her shoulders and head. She held a sparkling Rosary in her fingers. The Madonna of Fatima encouraged the children to return, and during the apparitions, she reminded them of the importance of the Rosary, penance, and prayer as instruments of salvation. She also entrusted them with three secret messages, instructing them not to reveal them. These are the three secrets of Fatima. Today, the Fatima sanctuary is one of the most visited Marian sanctuaries in the world. Built on the exact spot where the Madonna appeared to the three shepherd children, it houses their mortal remains.

Virgin of the Poor in Belgium

In Banneux, Belgium, near Liège, eight apparitions of the Madonna occurred in 1933. Mariette Beco, the eldest of eleven children in a poor family uninterested in religion, encountered the Virgin. One day, while at home looking after one of her younger brothers, she saw a woman dressed in white in the garden, emitting light and inviting her to follow. Stopped by her mother, she saw the same Lady a few days later, and this time she managed to follow her to a spring, which the mysterious Lady claimed as hers and for all nations, for the sick. The next day, the Lady appeared again to the girl, introducing herself as the Virgin of the Poor. There were other apparitions, accompanied by miraculous events, and finally, the Lady revealed herself to Mariette saying: “I am the Mother of the Savior, the Mother of God.” The Lady did not return, but the spring she showed the girl became a place of miraculous healings. Today, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Poor, built nearby, is visited by thousands of pilgrims seeking health and salvation.

Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil

Patroness of Brazil, Our Lady Aparecida or Our Lady of Conception Aparecida is celebrated on October 12th. The sanctuary dedicated to her in Aparecida, in the state of São Paulo, is the largest in the world and one of the four most visited. Legend has it that three fishermen were tasked with procuring fish for a banquet in honor of the Count of Assumar, the governor of the Province of São Paulo, who was passing through the town where they lived. They cast their nets into the Paraíba River, and after several unsuccessful attempts, they first found a terracotta statue depicting the Madonna, and then its head. From that moment on, their nets began to fill beyond measure. After remaining in one of the fishermen’s homes for fifteen years, the statue became the object of ever-growing devotion. Eventually, a grand sanctuary was erected: the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Aparecida.

Buy Now:

Our Lady Aparecida crown resin 31.5 cm

The statue is made of resin, a material that is better than PVC in terms of definition of lines and details.

Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico

The cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or Virgin of Guadalupe, also derives from a series of apparitions that occurred between December 9th and 12th, 1531, on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. Here, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, one of the first Aztecs converted to Christianity, encountered a young woman with features typical of women from his land: dark skin and black hair, surrounded by rays of sun and standing on a moon carried by an angel under her feet. We are familiar with her appearance because it miraculously remained impressed on the man’s cloak, the so-called tilma. The Madonna of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th throughout Mexico. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe was erected at the site of the apparitions, visited annually by over 20 million pilgrims, making it one of the most visited places of worship in the world and the first in America. Here, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin’s cloak with its miraculous image is still preserved today.

Mother of the Word in Rwanda

Even in the African village of Kibeho, Rwanda, the Madonna is said to have appeared, starting from November 28th, 1981. The protagonists of the apparitions were six girls and one boy who encountered a woman of extraordinary beauty in the school where they studied. The lady introduced herself as the Mother of the Word. During subsequent apparitions, in addition to urging the children to pray, the Madonna revealed the terrible massacres that would bloodshed Rwanda in the following years. To combat evil and seek peace, the only paths would be prayer, fasting, and love for one’s neighbour. A Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Kibeho or Our Lady of Sorrows stands in Kibeho today.

Virgin Mary of Guadalupe statue resin 30 cm
Buy on Holyart

Lady of Loreto statue, 30 cm hand painted plaster Barsanti
Buy on Holyart

Statue of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 35 cm in plaster with mother of pearl
Buy on Holyart

Our Lady of Lourdes with crown in painted wood of Valgardena
Buy on Holyart