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The Miracle of the
Sun
An Eyewitness Account by
Dr. José Maria de Almeida Garrett, professor at the Faculty of Sciences
of Coimbra, Portugal
"It must have been 1:30 p.m when
there arose, at the exact spot where the children were, a column of smoke,
thin, fine and bluish, which extended up to perhaps two meters above their
heads, and evaporated at that height. This phenomenon, perfectly visible to the
naked eye, lasted for a few seconds. Not having noted how long it had lasted, I
cannot say whether it was more or less than a minute. The smoke dissipated
abruptly, and after some time, it came back to occur a second time, then a
third time
 "The sky, which had been overcast all day, suddenly cleared; the
rain stopped and it looked as if the sun were about to fill with light the
countryside that the wintery morning had made so gloomy. I was looking at the
spot of the apparitions in a serene, if cold, expectation of something
happening and with diminishing curiosity because a long time had passed without
anything to excite my attention. The sun, a few moments before, had broken
through the thick layer of clouds which hid it and now shone clearly and
intensely.
"Suddenly I heard
the uproar of thousands of voices, and I saw the whole multitude spread out in
that vast space at my feet...turn their backs to that spot where, until then,
all their expectations had been focused, and look at the sun on the other side.
I turned around, too, toward the point commanding their gaze and I could see
the sun, like a very clear disc, with its sharp edge, which gleamed without
hurting the sight. It could not be confused with the sun seen through a fog
(there was no fog at that moment), for it was neither veiled nor dim. At
Fatima, it kept its light and heat, and stood out clearly in the sky, with a
sharp edge, like a large gaming table. The most astonishing thing was to be
able to stare at the solar disc for a long time, brilliant with light and heat,
without hurting the eyes or damaging the retina. [During this time], the sun's
disc did not remain immobile, it had a giddy motion, [but] not like the
twinkling of a star in all its brilliance for it spun round upon itself in a mad
whirl.
"During the solar phenomenon, which I have just described, there
were also changes of color in the atmosphere. Looking at the sun, I noticed
that everything was becoming darkened. I looked first at the nearest objects
and then extended my glance further afield as far as the horizon. I saw
everything had assumed an amethyst color. Objects around me, the sky and the
atmosphere, were of the same color. Everything both near and far had changed,
taking on the color of old yellow damask. People looked as if they were
suffering from jaundice and I recall a sensation of amusement at seeing them
look so ugly and unattractive. My own hand was the same color.
"Then, suddenly,
one heard a clamor, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun,
whirling wildly, seemed all at once to loosen itself from the firmament and,
blood red, advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge
and fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was truly terrible.
"All the
phenomena which I have described were observed by me in a calm and serene state
of mind without any emotional disturbance. It is for others to interpret and
explain them. Finally, I must declare that never, before or after October 13
[1917], have I observed similar atmospheric or solar phenomena."
Professor Almeida Garrett's full account may be
found in Novos Documentos de Fatima (Loyala editions, San Paulo,
1984)
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