Knock: History

Pre-20th-Century History

Knock was an undistinguished hamlet for much of its long history - until 1894. One wet evening in August of that year, two young Knock women were struck by the sight of Mary, Joseph and St John the Evangelist standing in light against the southern gable of the local church. Others were called to witness the apparition, and a Church investigation quickly confirmed it as a bona fide miracle.

Modern History

Reports of miracles occurring at the site of the apparitions continued to circulate into the 20th century. Sick and disabled pilgrims claimed amazing recoveries after visiting the church. Another Church commission of inquiry was set up to investigate these claims. It upheld Knock's status in 1936. Over the course of the century, what had been a trickle of pilgrims developed into a steady stream.

Recent History

Today, though Knock's trade in pilgrims can on occasion strike the uninterested observer as tacky, the village is as sacred a place for many Catholics as the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem is to Jews, Mecca to Muslims or the Ganges to Hindus. Knock was visited by Pope Paul VI in 1974, Pope John Paul II in 1979 (the centenary of the apparition) and Mother Teresa in 1993.

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