HUNDREDS of people are flocking to see a painting of the Virgin Mary which its owner claims is crying tears of oil. Esat Altindagoglu has been inundated with more than 50 visitors a day hoping to see the "miracle" at his house near Paris, France.
The foot-high statue was given to his wife Sevin by a Lebanese priest on her birthday in 2006, the Turkish-born salesman said.
It began weeping oil on February 12 this year, and had been crying every day since, he claims.
He said: "As word spread, people started arriving from France, then from all over Europe.
"I've been having between 50 and 60 people a day turning up for more than three weeks now."
An Orthodox priest had now agreed to say mass at his home in Garges-les-Gonesse this week to thank the Virgin Mary, Mr Altindagoglu said.
He added: "Apparently the next step is to have the weeping witnessed by a bishop so the miracle can be officially recognised by the church."
Over the centuries there have been hundreds of incidents of statues said to have weeped blood, oil or water.
But the only one ever approved as a miracle by the Pope was Our Lady of Akita in Japan in 1973, with all the others ruled out as hoaxes.
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