Marian apparitions are reported supernatural appearances by Mary, The Mother of God. Below is a list of alleged events concerning notable Marian apparitions, which have either been approved by a major Christian church, or which retain a significant following despite the absence of official approval or despite an official determination of inauthenticity. While a number of Marian apparitions are approved or received positive judgments, many receive no-decision or negative judgments from the church.

Catholic Church

According to norms of the Catholic Church which have been in effect since the Council of Trent in the 16th century, the initial responsibility of evaluating the merits of any purported apparition falls to the bishop of the area in which the events allegedly occurred. If, after an investigation, the bishop determines that the apparition constitutes an authentic supernatural appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, then the apparition is considered approved for the entire Catholic Church, unless his successor or the Holy See were to contradict his decision.

On May 18, 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's Prefect, Víctor Manuel Fernández, published a 2024 religious text signed by Pope Francis which replaced the 1978 Norms regarding the manner of proceeding in the discernment of presumed apparitions or revelations rulings. It sets new norms and guidelines for Catholic bishops in discerning claims of private revelation such as Marian apparitions. Fernández enumerated six possible conclusions for alleged supernatural phenomena discernment. "Nihil obstat" substitutes Declaration of supernatural authenticity. A Bishop's canonical investigation and decision requires prior submission to the Dicastery before publication.

Positive judgment

The apparitions in this category have been judged to be "worthy of belief".

Approved, with widespread veneration endorsed by the Holy See

A distinction is sometimes made between apparitions that are "Vatican approved" and those that are not. However, by the now abrogated Norms regarding the manner of proceeding in the discernment of presumed apparitions or revelations, the only formal mechanisms for Holy See approval of an apparition would be the pope approving an apparition that had occurred in the Diocese of Rome, or the pope approving an apparition against the will of the local bishop, neither of which has happened to date. Even in cases in which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cooperates with an investigation that yields a positive result, the consequent approval derives its authority from the local bishop, not from the Holy See. Because approval by the Holy See can therefore only be claimed based on informal indicators of endorsement, lists of "Vatican-approved Marian apparitions" vary widely depending on the criteria used. The criterion used here is that the Holy See must have approved the widespread veneration of the apparition by inscribing it on a liturgical calendar besides that of the particular diocese in which the apparition occurred.

Associated Marian titles Years Location Seers Approval Feast day Our Lady of Guadalupe 1531 Tepeyac, Mexico Juan Diego CuauhtlatoatzinJuan Bernardino 1555 December 12 in the General Roman CalendarJuan Diego, an Aztec who had recently converted to the Catholic faith, saw an apparition of Mary early in the morning on December 9, 1531, during which Mary asked that a church be built in the site of the apparition. The local bishop did not believe his story. In response, during another appearance to Juan Diego three days later, after also appearing to Diego's sick uncle Juan Bernardino, Our Lady imprinted an image of herself on Juan Diego's cloak (tilma). The cloak is on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Over the years, Our Lady of Guadalupe became a symbol of the Catholic faith in Mexico and the Mexican diaspora. Our Lady of the Miraculous MedalOur Lady of Graces 1830 Rue du Bac in Paris, France Catherine Labouré 1836Archbishop Hyacinthe-Louis de QuélenArchdiocese of Paris November 27 in the Roman Calendar for Venezuela and the Vincentian orders Catherine Labouré, a novice with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, reported several apparitions of Mary in the chapel of her convent. On July 18, 1830, she was awakened and led to the chapel by a child. There, the Virgin Mary appeared to her and revealed that God wished to entrust her with a mission. Mary also said to her that "times were evil" and foretold sorrows for France and the world. On November 27, 1830, Catherine reported another apparition, where Mary showed her specific visions and requested to "have a Medal struck after this model". She asked her to take these images to her confessor, and that "all who wear them will receive great graces". The first medals were produced in 1832 and became widely known as the Miraculous Medal, due to the many miracles attributed to the medal. The front of the medal depicts Mary as she appeared to Catherine, while the reverse design includes the letter M under a cross, along with the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady of La Salette 1846 Mount Sous-Les Baisses, La Salette-Fallavaux, France Mélanie CalvatMaximin Giraud September19,1851Diocese of Grenoble September 19 in the Roman Calendar for France Two shepherd children reported seeing an apparition of Mary, who was weeping because of disrespect shown to the Lord's Day and to the Lord's name. She entrusted one secret to each of the two children, which they wrote down and delivered to Pope Pius IX. Our Lady of LourdesThe Immaculate Conception 1858 Lourdes, France Bernadette Soubirous January18,1862Diocese of Tarbes February 11 in the General Roman Calendar A 14-year-old shepherd girl named Bernadette Soubirous reported seeing Mary appear to her while she was out gathering firewood in the countryside. Mary identified herself as "the Immaculate Conception" and told Bernadette of the location of a spring with many miraculous healings associated with its waters. Since 1862, more than sixty medical cures associated with Lourdes have been certified as "miraculous" by the Catholic Church, which established its own Medical Bureau in 1883 to review and evaluate claims of cures. An independent study of cures published during 2012 concluded that some of the cures were "currently beyond our ken but still impressive, incredibly effective, and awaiting a scientific explanation." Our Lady of Knock 1879 Knock, Ireland Group of 15 people 1879Archbishop John MacHaleArchdiocese of Tuam August 17 in the Roman Calendar for IrelandOn August21,1879, a group of 15 men, women, and children, ranging in age from 5 to 75, reported seeing an apparition behind their church, against the back wall, of an altar with a lamb on it (understood to represent Jesus), surrounded by a multitude of angels. Off to the side in prayer stood Mary, Joseph, and St. John (with St. John dressed as a bishop). Because Mary was among those seen, the apparition is classified as Marian, although the simultaneous appearance of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, John, and numerous angels makes it unique among this category. A further distinctive characteristic is that this apparition was silent: no verbal messages were given. The apparition lasted for an hour and a half. Our Lady of FátimaOur Lady of the RosaryThe Immaculate Heart of Mary 1917 Cova da Iria, Fátima, Portugal Lúcia SantosJacinta MartoFrancisco Marto October13,1930Bishop José Alves Correia daSilvaDiocese of Leiria May 13 in the General Roman Calendar Three shepherd children reported seeing apparitions of an angel (who identified himself as the Guardian Angel of Portugal) followed by apparitions of Mary. Mary revealed to the children three secrets: first, the reality of hell and the means of saving people from it through personal sacrifices and Acts of reparation; second, a prediction of future upheavals (beginning with World War II), the spiritual means of ending them (a Consecration of Russia and Communions of reparation on First Saturdays), and a prediction of an eventual "triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary"; third, an obscure vision of future persecution of the Catholic Church. The apparitions culminated with the Miracle of the Sun, an astronomical phenomenon witnessed by a crowd of approximately 70,000 people, and even by others located miles away. All nine popes since the apparitions – Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis – have indicated their belief in the authenticity of the apparitions. Pope John Paul II credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life after he was shot in Rome on May 13 feast day of the apparition in 1981, and donated the bullet that wounded him to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima. In 1925, eight years after the Fátima events, Lúcia, then Sister Lúcia, reported another set of related apparitions, which became known as the Pontevedra apparitions.

Approved

Below is a list of additional apparitions which have been approved by the local ordinary (i.e. the bishop assigned to the area in which the events allegedly occurred).