Lanciano: the first and possibly the greatest Eucharistic miracle

In 750, during a Mass celebrated in Lanciano by a priest-monk who was plagued by doubts about transubstantiation and whether our Lord was truly present in the Holy Eucharist, the host was suddenly changed into a piece of flesh, and the wine in the chalice into real human blood, which coagulated in a few minutes. To this day, after many studies, science is still unable to explain the mysterious origin, properties and preservation of these centuries-old relics of human cardiac tissue and blood enshrined at Lanciano. The Catholic Church, for its part, has confirmed the authenticity of this miracle five times in the course of history.

Lanciano Cathedral / © Shutterstock, Andrew Mayovskyy

Reasons to believe:

The Eucharistic relics are absolutely identical to what they were in 750, unchanged for thirteen centuries, despite exposure to atmospheric and biochemical agents, which goes against established science.

Several serious scientific analyses have been carried out. They have determined that the blood (5 globules) from Lanciano is of the same group as that from the Shroud of Turin (Type AB). They also determined that the flesh of the Lanciano Eucharist is a combination of myocardium (the muscular middle layer of the heart, composed of cardiac muscle fibers) and endocardium, the innermost layer of tissue that lines the chambers of the heart. No traces of preservatives were found in the elements.

Despite 500 tests ordered by the World Health Organisation, no one is able to understand the process by which a host and a little communion wine were transformed into heart muscle tissue and human blood.

The prodigious miracle of Lanciano is admirable in its materiality, but it is also exceptionally fruitful spiritually, having produced numerous conversions of atheists, unexplained medical cures, large numbers of confessions, etc.

Despite the turbulent history of Italy, particularly during the occupation of the region by Napoleon's troops, the miraculous Eucharistic species have not suffered any damage. Also puzzling is the fact that the Flesh and the globules of Blood were placed in a special ivory reliquary, but not hermetically sealed, and yet have been miraculously preserved for century.

The Catholic Church has encouraged and supported the pilgrimage to Lanciano since the 8th century, and has acknowledged the miracle on five occasions.

Summary:

In 750, a Basilian monk (Greek of the Latin rite) was celebrating Mass in the church of San Legonziano in Lanciano (Italy, Abruzzo), near Chieti on the Adriatic coast. After the consecration of the Eucharist, he was overwhelmed by doubts about the authenticity of Christ's real presence under the species of bread and wine.

In a second, the host was transformed into a piece of bloody flesh, and the wine in the chalice into a reddish liquid that resembled blood in every way: a total of five uneven clots that coagulated briefly. Science would later confirm that the piece of flesh consisted of human heart tissue, probably from a man who had died shortly before! It was the first known and fully documented miracle of this kind in the history of Catholicism. Within hours, news of the miracle spread throughout the region. The Basilian monk and the faithful present that day in the church at Lanciano were questioned and gave a sworn testimony.

In the twelfth century, Benedictine monks replaced the Basilian monks, who were in turn replaced by Franciscans in 1253. Five years later, a new church was built on the site of the old building where the miracle had taken place in 750. Lanciano was now a real shrine, able to welcome, house and care for the thousands of pilgrims who came here.

A fifteenth-century public document describes the miracle (which dates back to 755) in great detail, and explains the extraordinary state of conservation of these Eucharistic relics since the eighth century.

In 1515, Pope Leo X erected Lanciano as a diocese. Pius IV granted its bishop the title of archbishop. In 1566, the clergy authorised the displays of the relics. That year, the Franciscan Friar Giovanni Antonio di Mastro Renzo took them to safety from the Ottoman army. Preserved in a crystal vase, which in turn was kept in a wooden cupboard locked with four keys inside the Franciscan convent, the miraculous host was eventually returned to the church in Lanciano, much to the delight of the faithful. On 17 February 1574, the archbishop of Lanciano, Mons. Rodriguez, proceeded to authenticate the relics. Three other authentications followed until 1880. Ecclesiastical and political authorities attended the ceremonies associated with these canonical acts.

A bilingual manuscript (Greek and Latin) on papyrus, dated 1734, states that in the Middle Ages, the miraculous species had been returned to their original church after being stolen by two Basilian monks passing through Lanciano. The First Empire did little damage to the relics: although the Franciscans were expelled from their convent in 1809, when Napoleon suppressed the religious orders, the reliquary fortunately suffered no damage.

On 16 September 1886, Cardinal Gaetano Alimonda, Archbishop of Turin, informed Mgr Francesco Petrarca, the diocesan archbishop, that he was sending a Jesuit, Sanna Solaro, to Lanciano to publicly acknowledge the miracle. In 1923, a beautiful crystal monstrance was created to house the miraculous relics.

Then came the period of scientific expertise, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The liturgical vessels (chalice and paten) were examined in minute detail. Samples of blood and flesh were taken and subjected to in-depth investigations. From 18 November 1970 to 4 March 1971, Archbishop Perantoni of Lanciano-Ortona asked Dr Odoardo Linoli, professor of anatomy and chemistry and head of department at the hospital in Arezzo, and Professor Ruggero Bertelli, professor of histology at the University of Siena, to analyse the samples. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Franciscan Minister General gave them complete freedom. The result was astonishing: the blood, of human origin, was identical to that in the Shroud of Turin (group AB). "The AB blood group of the inhabitants of the area in fact has a percentage that extends from 0.5% to 1%, while in Palestine and the regions of the Middle East it is 14-15%," Linoli said). All the histological examinations confirmed the absence of preservatives - products that could be used for embalming or mummification. In 1973, the Supreme Council of the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a new investigation. Five hundredexaminations were carried out over a period of fifteen months, the results of which were strictly identical to those of 1970-1971.

"Science, aware of its limitations, stopped short of providing an explanation for the phenomenon", the final report concluded. Observed by thousands of witnesses, the miracle was officially recognised by the Church in 1574, 1637, 1770, 1886, and 1970. No investigation and no personality ever disputed the results. Popes, cardinals and sovereigns have come to pray at Lanciano over the centuries, attesting by their presence to the authenticity and importance of the shrine.

Patrick Sbalchiero

Beyond reasons to believe:

The spiritual significance of the miracle of Lanciano is considerable: it is a clear sign that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist every time Mass is celebrated, and in every consecrated host.