Apparition reported at Knock, County Mayo (1879)

On the wet evening of 21 August 1879, witnesses in Knock, County Mayo, reported an apparition at the south gable of the Church of Saint John the Baptist, describing the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, and Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. An ecclesiastical Commission of inquiry established by the Archbishop of Tuam investigated the reported event, and a second commission in 1936 relied on interviews with surviving witnesses, their children, press reports, and 1880s devotional works after early documents were assumed lost.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The event occurred in the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland, at the south gable end of the Church of Saint John the Baptist. The evening of 21 August 1879 was described as a very wet night. Witnesses reported seeing an apparition of Our Lady, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist, along with Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God.

Witness Accounts. Witnesses described Saint Joseph wearing white robes and standing at the Virgin's right hand, while Saint John the Evangelist stood to the left. Some reported Saint John appeared to be preaching, holding a large book in his left hand. The ground around the figures remained completely dry despite the wind blowing from the south.

Investigation. An ecclesiastical Commission of inquiry was established by the Archbishop of Tuam. The commission's deliberations referred only to the occurrence on 21 August 1879, omitting subsequent phenomena. A second commission in 1936 relied on interviews with surviving witnesses, their children, press reports, and devotional works from the 1880s.

People involved

Sources

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