Ingman et al./Relational Dynamics, 8. Marian Apparitions

Sacred visions, supernatural visitations and revelations appearing to chosen visionaries have for millennia been an important, if relatively marginal, form of Christian religiosity. One of the key concerns regarding these supernatural phenomena is their authenticity and their particular forms of sacrality. This chapter focuses on the ways in which the shrine of Fátima in Portugal grew into a sacred configuration that coalesced in the form of Marian sacrality, combining specific social, iconic and political elements involving different agents and agencies (e.g. charismatic virtuosos and their followers, as well as religious, political, and administrative institutions), but also objects and temporal/spatial patterns “charged” with spiritual power and significance (e.g. consecrated places, sacred statues and relics, holy dates, and sacred and powerful rites such as certain prayers and rituals). Specifically, this chapter concerns the social definition and governance of Marian sacrality in Fátima, Portugal.