One of the most amazing miracles of the 20th century occurred more than 100 years ago: the spectacular “Miracle of the Sun” in Fatima, Portugal. Approximately 70,000 people witnessed this incredible phenomenon.
Three shepherd children claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to them, and that she would perform a public miracle on October 13, 1917, in a specific field.
That’s quite the claim, so when the day came, the field was filled with tens of thousands of people: believers, skeptics, journalists, and even photographers.
And then it happened: the Sun started spinning, then zig-zagging around the sky, and it gave off brilliant colors. The Holy Family also appeared. Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared first, as Jesus blessed the world with the Sign of the Cross. Our Lady then appeared next to the sun, robed in white with a blue mantle.
So did anyone get a photograph?
This picture purports to be a photo of the "Miracle of the Sun" at Fatima:
The sun is the slightly darker spot in the middle of the right side.
Of course, a main feature of the Miracle of the Sun was that the Sun moved, which wouldn’t exactly be captured in a photo. But still, if real, this would be an incredible historical artifact.
There’s only one problem: the photo above was not taken in Fatima in 1917.
The Truth About the Fake Photo of The Miracle of the Sun
Several photos of the crowd were published soon after the event. But none of the sun.
It was later discovered to have been a case of mistaken identity: the photo was taken of a separate solar phenomenon in Torres Novas, Portugal, in 1921.
This website explains what really happened:
"The story of this fake photo began with the publication on November 17, 1951, by L'Osservatore Romano, of a photograph allegedly taken during the "Miracle of the Sun" in Fatima, Portugal, on Saturday, October 13, 1917, at noon (12h30 pm). L'Osservatore Romano is the official newspaper of the Vatican. Actually, as stated by Voz de Fatima, June, 13, 1952, p. 2, the published photo is a part of a bigger photograph taken by Alfredo J. Mendonça during a pilgrimage on May 13, 1921, between 6:50 and 6:58 near the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes, Torres Nova, Outeiro Grande (about 16 km from the Cova da Iria, Fatima)."
Here are some real photos of the crowd during the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima in 1917:
It’s not clear why there were photos taken of the crowds during the Miracle of the Sun, but none of the Sun itself. Maybe the photographers couldn’t see it (not everyone could)? Or maybe photos taken of the sky did not turn out.
Either way, we have the eyewitness accounts of more than 70,000 people.