This is an angelic photo of Sister Lucia, with the black of her habit and the halo-like framing of white around her face. We think the lighting is just perfect. Taken by some forgotten master of Portuguese photography, this picture conveys her gentleness and other-worldliness near the beginning of all those decades of waiting. Even the trompe-l'œil church background serves the theme; the physical world is hardly there, while her holiness is almost palpable.

One part of Lucia’s story that is not widely known is that she was already an extremely devout child before the apparitions. At age 6, she was broken-hearted and in tears because she could not receive Jesus in Communion; 10 was the customary age. In light of her devotion, she was granted an exception. She said of her first communion that she felt “bathed in such a supernatural atmosphere that the presence of our dear Lord became as clearly perceptible to me as if I had seen and heard Him with my bodily senses.” As a child, she wrote songs and, in addition, she was known as an imaginative storyteller, which made it harder for people to believe her regarding the appearance of Mary.

Sister Lucia lived for almost 90 years after seeing Mary.

We straightened and did some restoration work on this long out-of-copyright photo.

Standard size. We sell this in two sizes. If you would like us to frame it, please select the frame you would like above, under "Size & Framing".

– 8.5 x 11" or 11 x 14" acid-free paper
– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
– Cardboard backer
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

** IMPORTANT ** There is about an inch-and-a-third of white space around the picture, so the image is smaller than the paper.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John