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Apparition of Mary
A strange, rainbow-colored image appeared on the mirrored windows of a Florida office building just before Christmas 1996, leading many observers to declare it a manifestation of the Virgin Mary. Hundreds of thousands of believers have traveled from across the country and around the globe to view the alleged miracle. The building since been turned into a shrine..
The apparition occupies about a dozen glass panes of a large office
building in Clearwater, Florida, which at the time of the image's appearance
housed the Seminole Finance Corporation. The stained area, about 50 feet tall
and 35 feet wide, suggests the curves of a hooded head and shoulders surrounded
by an ethereal glow. Analysts believe the colorful streaks were created by
mineral deposits left behind by spray from nearby water sprinklers. The image
was first noticed after palm trees in from of the windows in question had been
cut down, and the palm leaves brushing against the glass probably helped shape
the stain.
This explanation has not deterred an estimated 1.5 million sightseers from
flocking to the building. A great number remain convinced that the image is the
form of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or perhaps Jesus, as some have suggested.
Crowds are persistently gathered outside the building, where it is common to see
people praying and weeping at the supposed vision. The resulting pilgrimages
have meant headaches for the Clearwater city council, which has had to take
measures to accommodate new levels of congestion and pedestrian traffic in the
area.
Unfortunately, due to vandalism, the
apparition and the window that graced this miraculous image have been broken.
www.startime.com/virginmary
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