Gonçalo Xavier de Almeida Garrett

Professor of Mathematics

Gonçalo Xavier de Almeida Garrett (also known as Dr. José Maria de Almeida Garrett) was a Professor of Natural Sciences at the University of Coimbra who witnessed the Miracle of the Sun in Fátima, Portugal, on October 13, 1917. He provided one of the most systematic scientific accounts of the event, describing the sun as appearing like a "disc of dimmed glass" that could be stared at without retinal damage, despite its intense brightness and heat.

Garrett observed the following phenomena:

The sun spun rapidly like a "Catherine wheel" or "fireworks wheel" for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.

It emitted multicolored light (red, yellow, green, and purple) that colored the surrounding landscape, trees, and people's clothing.

The sun appeared to detach from the sky and descend toward the earth, causing mass panic among the estimated 70,000 to 100,000 witnesses.

The weather abruptly changed from heavy rain to clear skies, and the wet ground and clothing of the crowd reportedly dried instantly without wind.

While Garrett affirmed he was not hallucinating and was in a calm, serene state, some sources debate whether the detailed account was actually given by his son, José Almeida Garrett, a young lawyer. The event remains a central element of the Catholic devotion to Our Lady of Fátima, with the local bishop declaring it "worthy of belief" in 1930