Navigate to News section

Weeping Virgin Mary Statue Draws Crowds to Israeli Town

Nearly 2,000 people have visited the home of a Christian family in Tarshiha

by
Lily Wilf
February 13, 2014
Weeping Virgin Mary statue in Tarshiha, Israel. (AP)
Weeping Virgin Mary statue in Tarshiha, Israel. (AP)

Thousands of faithful Christians have flocked to the small northern Israel town of Tarshiha to catch a glimpse of a statue of the Virgin Mary that reportedly “weeps” oil, the Daily Mail reports. Osama and Amira Khoury, the statue’s owners, said they recently found the statue inexplicably “covered in oil,” and that it spoke to Amira. Word of the remarkable discovery quickly spread after a neighbor witnessed the statue weeping.

In the week since, an estimated 2,000 people have arrived in the Khoury’s living room in Tarshiha, near the Lebanon border. The statue, which is said to remain glossy with moisture even after being wiped down, features an image of the Virgin Mary adorned with rosary beads. It now sits inside a protective glass box, as a stream of worshippers serenade it with songs and prayers.

Lily Wilf is an editorial intern at Tablet.