Case file · Apparition / miracle
The 'Shadow of the Cross' painting
Henri Ault's 1896 painting of Christ at the Sea of Galilee, now in the San Francisco de Asís church at Ranchos de Taos, shows in darkness a glowing figure with a cross over his shoulder that cannot be seen in daylight.
1896 CE · 36.36, -105.61 · status: disputed
The account
It was a sensation at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and was given to the church in the mid-20th century; parish staff dim the lights for visitors.
The sceptical view
Ault said he did not understand the effect; luminous pigments or layers of paint are the usual explanation, and no laboratory study has been published.