Type: Eyewitness Testimony
Source: Multiple witnesses
The reported phenomenon is supported by a large body of eyewitness testimony. Individual accounts vary in detail, but several describe an unusual appearance of the Sun following the clearing of the clouds. Particularly notable accounts were provided by journalist Avelino de Almeida and mathematician Gonçalo Xavier de Almeida Garrett. The testimony establishes that unusual visual phenomena were reported by people present, but the accounts do not establish that the physical Sun itself moved.
On October 13, 1917, an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 people gathered at Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portugal, to witness a solar phenomenon predicted by three shepherd children: Lucia dos Santos, Francisco Marto, and Jacinta Marto. Despite heavy rain, witnesses reported the sun appearing as a clear, harmless disk that spun like a "Catherine wheel," emitted multicolored rays (red, blue, green, purple), and appeared to plummet toward the earth before returning to its normal position.
Key documented features of the event include:
Immediate Drying: Witnesses reported that their soaked clothes and muddy ground became completely dry within minutes of the phenomenon ending.
Secular Verification: Avelino de Almeida, a journalist for the anti-clerical newspaper O Século, published a front-page eyewitness account describing the visual anomalies, later converting to Catholicism.
Scientific Observation: Dr. José Maria de Almeida Garrett, a professor at the University of Coimbra, described the sun as a sharp, gleaming disc that did not hurt the eyes, noting he had never observed similar atmospheric phenomena before or after.
Widespread Reports: Accounts of the sun dancing and changing color were reported by witnesses in surrounding villages up to 40 kilometers away, some of whom were unaware of the gathering.
The Catholic Church officially recognized the event as a miracle in 1930, with Bishop José da Silva declaring it "worthy of belief" based on the convergence of eyewitness testimonies, secular press accounts, and the children’s consistent behavior under pressure.