Knock Shrine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland |
|
|---|---|
|
Cnoc Mhuire
|
|
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock, a famous church in Ireland.
|
|
 Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland
Location in Ireland
|
|
| 53°47′32″N 8°55′04″W / 53.792099°N 8.917659°W | |
| Location | Knock, County Mayo |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language(s) | English, Irish |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Tradition | Roman Rite |
| History | |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Knock |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Modern |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Claremorris |
| Archdiocese | Tuam |
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock, often called Knock Shrine, is a famous Roman Catholic holy site in the village of Knock, County Mayo, in Ireland. It is a place of pilgrimage, where people travel to pray and feel closer to God.
Knock became famous because on August 21, 1879, a group of local people said they saw something amazing. They reported seeing an apparition (a supernatural appearance) of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and Saint John the Evangelist. They also saw an altar with the Lamb of God, which represents Jesus Christ, and angels.
Contents
The Apparition of 1879
The evening of Thursday, August 21, 1879, was dark and rainy. Around 8 o'clock, a woman named Mary Byrne was walking home with the priest's housekeeper, Mary McLoughlin. Suddenly, Mary Byrne stopped and stared at the wall of the village church.
She claimed to see three life-sized figures floating in the air. She ran to tell her family, and soon a small crowd gathered. The group of about 15 people, ranging from a five-year-old boy to a 68-year-old woman, watched the scene for about two hours in the pouring rain.
What Did People See?
| Our Lady of Knock | |
|---|---|
A statue of Our Lady of Knock inside the shrine.
|
|
| Location | Knock, County Mayo |
| Date | 1879 |
| Type | Marian apparition |
| Approval | 1879 Archbishop John MacHale Archdiocese of Tuam |
| Shrine | Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock, Knock, County Mayo, Ireland |
The witnesses described the figures in detail.
- The Virgin Mary was described as very beautiful. She wore a white cloak and had her hands raised in prayer.
- Saint Joseph stood on Mary's right side. He also wore white robes, and his head was bowed respectfully toward Mary.
- Saint John the Evangelist stood on Mary's left. He was dressed like a bishop and held a large open book, as if he were preaching.
- To the left of Saint John, there was a simple altar. On the altar was a young lamb, with a cross behind it. This is a symbol for Jesus, who is called the "Lamb of God." Angels hovered around the altar.
The people who saw the apparition prayed the Rosary while they watched. They noticed that even though it was raining heavily, the ground beneath the figures was completely dry. The figures themselves were silent and did not move.
The Church Investigates
News of the apparition spread quickly. The Archbishop of Tuam, Dr. John MacHale, set up a group called a Commission of Inquiry in October 1879 to investigate. The commission interviewed 15 official witnesses.
The investigators wanted to know if there was a natural explanation or if it was a trick. They could not find any natural cause, and they decided that the witnesses were honest and trustworthy. The commission's final decision was that the testimonies were reliable.
A second investigation took place in 1936 to re-interview the last surviving witnesses. They all confirmed their original stories.
Other Explanations
Some people have tried to find a scientific explanation for what the witnesses saw. One investigator, Joe Nickell, suggested it might have been a "magic-lantern effect." A magic lantern was an early type of projector.
He suggested that light from the setting sun could have reflected off the windows of a nearby school. This reflection on the church wall might have created strange shapes. For people who were deeply religious, their minds might have interpreted these shapes as holy figures. This is a psychological effect known as pareidolia, where people see familiar patterns in random shapes, like seeing a face in the clouds. However, believers point out that the ground remained dry under the figures, which a projection would not explain.
Knock Shrine in Modern Times
Knock Shrine grew from a small village church into a major international destination. Today, the site includes five different churches. The original church is still there, but a new Apparition Chapel was built next to it, with statues of the figures from the vision.
The largest church is the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland, which can hold 10,000 people. A basilica is a special title given to an important church by the Pope.
Many people who visit Knock believe they have been healed from sickness. As a sign of thanks, they often leave crutches and walking sticks behind near the Apparition wall.
Famous Visitors
Over the years, many important people have visited Knock Shrine.
- Pope John Paul II visited in 1979 for the 100th anniversary of the apparition. He prayed at the apparition wall and officially named the main church a basilica.
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited the Shrine in June 1993.
- Pope Francis visited in 2018 during his trip to Ireland.
- U.S. President Joe Biden made a private visit to the shrine in April 2023.
Building the Modern Shrine
Much of the shrine's modern development was thanks to its parish priest, Monsignor James Horan. In the 1970s, he led the project to build the huge new basilica.
He also had the bold idea to build an international airport nearby to make it easier for pilgrims to visit. With help from the Irish government, Ireland West Airport Knock opened in 1985, about 19 kilometers from the shrine.
See also
In Spanish: Santuario de Knock para niños
- Marian apparition
- Knock, County Mayo
- Our Lady of Lourdes
- Our Lady of Fátima
- Shrines to the Virgin Mary
External links
- Official website of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock: https://www.knockshrine.ie/
- The Marian hymn Lady of Knock by Dana Rosemary Scallon
ga:Cnoc Mhuire
