An image of the Virgin Mary has been crying tears of oil, its owner has claimed, in a story that has drawn hundreds of visitors to the man's home in France.

A man wipes the traces of oil from an orthodox icon representing the Virgin Mary "weeping tears of oil" on March 7, 2010 at a resident's home

Esat Altindagoglu has been inundated with more than 50 visitors a day hoping to see the "miracle" at his house near Paris.

The one-foot high painting 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 claimed.

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 to 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 wept *lo**, 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.