The Forgotten Apparitions: Mystical City of God

Peter Dwyer
Mar 31, 2017
4 min read

Very few people in the English-speaking world are aware of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the town of Ágreda Spain. The Queen of the Angels appeared to a nun named Sister Mary of Jesus (María de Jesús, 1602-1665) – who has since been named Venerable but as yet has not been declared a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church. The casket containing the body of The Venerable Sr. Mary was opened in 1909. Much to the surprise of the examiners the body was found to be total incorrupt -- a complete lack of expected decay associated with death. She was re-examined 1989 and the examiners found no difference in the level of decay recorded 80 years earlier.

The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as Jesus, took place in the first half of the 17th century. The result is a multi volume set of books on the life of Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ, The Mystical City of God.

In Spain, the books are required reading for many university students studying the Spanish language. Not because of the tremendous details of the lives of Mary, Joseph, Christ and the Apostles, Angels and early Church. But as a masterpiece of baroque literature.

Fiscar Marison – pen name of Father George J. Blatter -- who translated the books from the original Spanish in 1902, begins as he should, with a word of caution regarding personal revelation, “Nothing that essentially differs from the teachings of the Catholic Church can rightfully be taught or believed by any man or under any pretext.[i]” Absolutely.

The Venerable Sr. Mary of Agreda laying in state - incorruptible.

You might be asking yourself, ‘So, who has looked into this. What kind of validation or scrutiny has this event been given? Why haven’t I ever heard of the apparition or Mary of Jesus of Ágreda?‘ All very valid questions. First, it’s good to understand how the church approaches these kinds of things. Marison writes, “The Church has as yet given no public and full approval to private revelations of any kind; nor will she ever do so, since that would be really an addition to the deposit of faith left by Christ. But tacitly and indirectly she has approved many private revelations, and among them the writings of Mary of Ágreda.”[ii] Marison continues, “There is probably no other book which was so closely scrutinized by those in authority, both civil and religious, and afterwards so signally approved as the “City of God.” By order of Innocent XL, Alexander VIIL, Clement IX., Benedict XIIL, and Benedict XIV, it was repeatedly subjected to the closest scrutiny and declared authentic, worthy of devout perusal and free from error. The title “Venerabilis” was conferred upon the author.”[iii]

Examined by no less than five Popes and found to be “worthy of devout perusal.”

Not only did the Popes listed not find fault with these books, but according to Marison, they put them to use. “The great pope Benedict XIII, when he was archbishop of Benevent, used these revelations as material for a series of sermons on the Blessed Virgin.”[iv]

What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about private revelations?

“67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called “private” revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church. (84; 93)

Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such “revelations.”[v]

I hope you agree I’ve been diligent in including sufficient warnings and explanations of Church teachings in matters such as these.

The Mystical City of God series is a magnificent treasure of the Roman Catholic Church. Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation is explained, the Nativity, the Visitation, the Passion, the Assumption, the early Church, Mary’s Assumption and the Coronation and her battles with Satan. What was Mary really like? Did Mary work to help support the family? Yes! Who made the one-piece tunic the soldiers didn’t want to cut up at Cavalry? What did the Holy Family do during their exodus? What was Joseph like? What did Jesus do before His public ministry? It’s all there. I’ve personally read the four volumes from cover to cover and can’t begin to describe their value. I sincerely hope you share my enthusiasm.