We have seen the light! Mystery of glowing Virgin Mary statue visited by hundreds in Belgium is solved... after scientists discover it was covered in luminous paint

The mystery of the glowing Madonna has been solved after a team of scientists from Liege university discovered it was covered in paint containing zinc sulphide

Over 500 visitors came to see the 'mysterious glowing Virgin' in one day earlier this month

Police were even forced to post guards around a pavilion erected by its owners

The mystery of the Madonna figure which glowed in the dark, attracting thousands of pilgrims to a sleepy Belgian village, has been solved - and it's not a miracle.

A team of scientists from the science faculty at Liege university discovered the Madonna was glowing in the dark because it had been covered with paint containing zinc sulphide on an unknown date.

Dr Rudi Cloots, who led the university team said: 'This chemical has a luminous effect and is the reason for the strange light. It's no miracle.'



Mystery solved: Scientists found that the statue was covered in paint containing zinc sulphide which made it glow

But he could not explain why it took 15 years before the glow appeared.

After the statue was discovered in mid-January, police had to control crowds in the village of Jalhay, near Liege who were eager to touch the figure which suddenly began to glow in the kitchen of an elderly couple's home.

Over 500 people visited the house in one day, eager to pay homage to it.

Pilgrims: Over 500 people came to the house in Jalhay, Belgium, in one day this month

Four visitors claimed they had been cured of physical disabilities after being in the presence of the Madonna and the Bishop of Liege sent church officials to investigate the phenomenon.

But local Catholic authorities remained cautious about claiming for definite whether there was a natural or religious explanation for the statue's luminescence.







The statue, which is about a foot high, represents the 'Virgin of Banneux', from the name of a nearby village where a young girl was said to have witnessed an appearance by the Virgin in 1933.

The town is a pilgrim destination in largely Catholic Belgium, although Catholic authorities from the Banneux sanctuary also expressed caution about the 'glowing' Virgin.