Case file · Apparition / miracle
Conyers apparitions
From 1990 to 1998 Nancy Fowler said the Virgin Mary appeared to her on a farm in Conyers, Georgia, drawing crowds of up to 100,000 on the 13th of each month.
1990 CE · 33.66, -84.00 · status: disputed
The account
Pilgrims reported the sun spinning and rosaries turning gold.
The sceptical view
The Archdiocese of Atlanta investigated and in 2000 found no evidence of anything supernatural, discouraging pilgrimages.
The researched reading
A visionary’s private experiences and crowds who saw what solar glare and expectation produce. Nothing in the record points beyond psychology and devotion.
| Explanation | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Perception, memory or mind | 44% | Only Nancy Fowler saw and heard the Virgin; crowds reported sun-spinning and colour effects that come from staring near the sun, and rosaries "turning gold" from tarnish or brass plating read with expectation. |
| A cultural story | 30% | The monthly gatherings followed the Fatima and Medjugorje model, with messages warning the nation, a format that spreads through devotional networks. |
| A known natural phenomenon | 12% | Sun-dazzle effects, afterimages and the colour-fringing of the eye under bright light explain the "dancing sun" reported by many pilgrims. |
| Genuinely anomalous | 6% | The Archdiocese of Atlanta found nothing supernatural, and nothing measurable distinguishes Conyers from ordinary religious experience. |
| A hoax or fabrication | 5% | There is no evidence Fowler deliberately deceived anyone, but the visions were wholly unverifiable and supported an organisation. |
| Undetermined | 3% | The share the reading had given to fabrication on doubt rather than evidence: the record does not settle it either way. |
Official position: The Archdiocese of Atlanta found no evidence of anything supernatural and discouraged pilgrimages.