The Catholic Defender: Two Eucharistic Miracles of Italy in the 1300’s
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
In 1330, at Cascia, a gravely ill peasant called the priest so he could receive Communion.
The priest, partly through carelessness and partly through apathy, instead of taking the ciborium with him in order to carry the Eucharist to the house of sick man, irreverently placed a Host in a prayer book.
When he reached the peasant the priest opened the book and with astonishment saw that the Host was transformed into a clot of blood and the pages of the book were marked with blood.
The Eucharistic Miracle of Cascia in 1330; A priest in Siena, Italy, was called to bring Holy Communion to a seriously ill peasant.
At Cascia, in the basilica dedicated to St. Rita, is also preserved the relic of the Eucharistic Miracle, which happened near Siena in 1330.
A priest was asked to bring Communion to a sick peasant. The priest took a consecrated Host which he irreverently placed in the pages of his breviary and went to the peasant.
Instead of using a ciborium, the priest tucked the consecrated Host between the pages of his breviary (prayer book).
When he arrived at the house of the sick man, after hearing his confession, he opened the book to take out the Host which he had placed there.
To his great surprise he found that the Host was stained with living blood, so much as to mark both pages between which the Blessed Sacrament had been placed.
When he opened the book at the peasant's home, the Host had miraculously turned into a clot of blood, staining both pages.
Overwhelmed with shame, the priest went to the Augustinian Monastery in Siena to confess to Blessed Simone Fidati, a holy man.
Blessed Fidati granted him pardon and kept the blood-stained pages, which became a revered relic.
The pages marked by the Precious Blood are preserved in the Basilica of St. Rita in Cascia, Italy, a significant pilgrimage site.
The miracle is annually commemorated with a procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi in Cascia. The relic is currently enshrined in the lower chapel of the Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia, Italy.
On August 14, 1730, thieves broke into the Basilica of St. Francis in Siena, Italy, stealing a golden ciborium containing 351 consecrated Hosts
Three days later, the stolen Hosts were found in the dirty alms box of the Church of St. Mary of Provenzano, entangled in dust and cobwebs.
Instead of decomposing, the Hosts remained fresh, white, and whole, defying natural laws of decay.
Numerous scientific analyses, including significant studies in 1914, 1922, 1950, and 1951, confirmed the hosts' preservation, contrasting them with unconsecrated bread stored under similar conditions, which rotted completely.
After some hosts were distributed, a Franciscan Superior General consumed one in 1780 and found it fresh. The remaining 230 hosts were enshrined and are still venerated today in the Basilica of St. Francis.
The miracle is seen as a profound confirmation of the Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
During a visit in 1980, St. John Paul II remarked, "It's the Presence," adding to its recognition.
The miraculous hosts are kept in a special reliquary at the Basilica of St. Francis in Siena and are available for public adoration on the 17th of each month.
1789 Control Experiment: Archbishop Tibério Borghese placed unconsecrated hosts in a sealed box under similar conditions. After ten years, these "control" hosts were found rotted and reduced to powder, while the consecrated Hosts remained fresh.
1914 Scientific Analysis: Professor Siro Grimaldi of the University of Siena conducted chemical tests, concluding that the Hosts were made of ordinary unleavened wheat flour but showed no signs of decay, calling it a phenomenon that "inverts the natural law".
2014 Study: Modern digital microscopy and ATP tests confirmed the Hosts remain free from microbial growth and structural abnormalities.
Procession: A solemn procession with the Hosts takes place annually through the streets of Siena on the Feast of Corpus Christi.
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