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The moving statues () phenomenon occurred during the summer of 1985 in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, where, in several different parts of the country, statues of the
Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
were reported to move spontaneously. In
Ballinspittle Ballinspittle () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is in the barony of Courceys and lies about southwest of Kinsale, on the R600 road. It is near Garrylucas and Garrettstown Blue Flag beaches. The village is a community with new housin ...
,
County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...
, in July 1985, an observer claimed to have seen a roadside statue of the Virgin Mary move spontaneously. Similar occurrences were reported shortly afterward in
Mount Melleray Mount Melleray, also spelled Mountmelleray (), is a townland situated in the Knockmealdown Mountains near Cappoquin, County Waterford, Ireland. It is in the civil parish of Lismore and Mocollop in the historical barony of Coshmore and Coshbri ...
, County Waterford, and at around 30 other locations around the country. They were not all
Marian apparitions A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time. In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian ap ...
. Some involved other divine figures and/or saints who appeared in stains on church walls etc. Thousands gathered at many of the sites out of curiosity or to gaze in wonder and to pray. Up to 100,000 were said to have visited the Ballinspittle site alone.Mulholland, Peter. (2008) 'Moving Statues and Concrete Thinking'. Quaderns de l'Institut Català d'Antropologia: sèrie monogràfics 23. The
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
remained reticent or highly skeptical and a bishop declared the whole phenomenon 'an illusion'. The Ballinspittle statue was damaged by a gang of hammer-wielding Pentecostalist protesters against idolatry (or
Mariolatry Protestant views on Mary include the theological positions of major Protestant representatives such as Martin Luther and John Calvin as well as some modern representatives. While it is difficult to generalize about the place of Mary, mother of J ...
), but it was repaired. In 2002 the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
planned a documentary on the phenomenon. Though the moving statue phenomenon quickly faded, a few small ' cults' persisted for some years after the peak activity of 1985, and one set off by road to convert Russia. Author John D. Vose set out to see for himself in his book ''The Statues That Moved a Nation''. He interviewed witnesses who told him the most amazing stories of miraculous happenings. A team of psychologists based in
University College, Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...
(UCC), recorded 31 apparition sites and explained the visions as being optical illusions caused by staring at objects in the evening twilight. Others have argued that the moving statues and other extraordinary international phenomenon like the " flying-saucer" religions and many other new religious and occult movements are best explained as responses to an existential angst that was exacerbated by the Cold War and other sources of social stress but with ultimate origins in cultural or religious norms, family dynamics, and personal psychology. One site is about one kilometre (1000 yards) along the Ballinspittle to
Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...
road. In a ravine the life-sized blue-and white painted
plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...
statue of a woman stands about 4 metres (13') above the road, fronted by a balustrade of large blue concrete letters reading " I am The Immaculate Conception". The head of the statue is surrounded by small electric bulbs in the form of a
halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...
. Across the ravine is an unfenced grassy slope with some benches. In front is a blue boilerplate box for donations, secured by two large padlocks. A printed notice beside the grotto states that its continual upkeep is designed to keep the people of Ballinspittle focused on their veneration of the Virgin Mary, and also to inspire faith in "mere passers by". Anthropologist Peter Mulholland argues that the continuing role of Marian apparitions in Irish popular culture is a reflection of psychological insecurity stemming largely from adverse childhood experiences and a concatenation of historical, cultural, political, religious and sociological factors. Moving statues have also been reported in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, another devout Catholic country.


See also

*
Roman Catholicism in Ireland , native_name_lang = ga , image = Armagh, St Patricks RC cathedral.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh. , abbreviation = , type ...
* Knock Shrine * Templemore apparitions * Maria Duce *
Weeping Angel The Weeping Angels are a race of predatory creatures from the long-running science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. They were introduced in the 2007 episode "Blink", making repeat appearances in later episodes. They also appeared in the spin-off s ...
, an alien species in '' Doctor Who'' that resembles a moving statue.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moving Statues Christian miracles 1985 in Ireland Statues of the Virgin Mary History of Catholicism in Ireland