Authorities paint over 'Virgin Mary' stain

Authorities in Chicago painted over a yellow and white stain on a concrete wall of an expressway underpass that some believed was an image of the Virgin Mary after it was defaced, police said today. A man was arrested for the alleged vandalism.

Chicago police arrested Victor Gonzalez, 37, early today for allegedly writing with black shoe polish the words “Big Lie” over the image, police spokesman David Banks said.

Authorities charged Gonzalez with criminal damage to state supported property, a misdemeanour. Witnesses had seen him painting the image, Banks said.

A steady stream of the faithful and the curious, many carrying flowers and candles, had flocked to the emergency turn-off area under the Kennedy Expressway since last month. Today, some people gathered at the site and expressed sorrow.

The Illinois Department of Transportation has said the stain was likely the result of salt run-off.

Authorities later painted over the image because it had been defaced, Banks said.

Worldwide, people have been drawn to images believed to resemble the Virgin Mary seen on windows, fence posts and walls.

One of the best known in the US was an image on windows of an office building in Clearwater, Florida, that drew hundreds of thousands of viewers after it was spotted in 1996.

Experts said the image was created by corrosion. The windows were shattered last year, and a teenage boy pleaded guilty to felony criminal mischief and sentenced to 10 days in jail.