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Since the dawn of Christianity, Christians have worshipped the Virgin Mary with unwavering faith, and in some instances, have even reported visitations by the Lady herself. Such visitations are known as Marian apparitions—events where the Blessed Virgin supernaturally appears to one or more persons at a particular place, point, and time. The apparitions have often been interpreted as psychological and religious phenomena, and have thus been subject to a considerable amount of skepticism throughout history. As is the culture and practice of some Christian Churches—primarily, but not exclusively, the Catholic Church—shrines are used to mark the various sites of the apparitions and/or other miracles attributed to the Blessed Virgin. As history continues to show, the sites of these shrines, numbering many, have become popular destinations for pilgrims from all corners of the globe.
For centuries, beginning with the first Marian apparition in Guadalupe, Mexico, until the most recent alleged apparitions at Medjugorje, both Christians and non-Christians, scientists, historians, and even the common villager, have been fascinated, even overwhelmed, by the sheer number of travelers who come to worship before the shrines. Often valued as symbols, even famed by the cities and small towns they mark, Marian shrines serve as sites for prayer and deep spiritual reflection for the faithful who deem them authentic. However, it is important to note that of the many Marian shrines in existence today, fewer than a dozen of the visions and miraculous miracles surrounding them have been approved by the Catholic Church.
| Lourdes | Fatima | Knock | Paris | Medjogorje |