Austria · 15th Century
Weiten-Raxendorf
In 1411, in the parish church of Weiten-Raxendorf in Lower Austria, thieves broke into the church and stole a ciborium containing consecrated Hosts, along with other valuable liturgical items. The sacrilegious thieves were interested only in the precious metal of the vessels and intended to discard the Hosts, which they regarded as worthless.
About this miracle
As the thieves fled on horseback with their stolen goods, one of the Hosts fell from the lead thief's glove onto the ground. At that precise moment, the horse refused to move forward. No amount of urging or whipping could make the animal take another step. The thief, frustrated and fearful of being caught, abandoned the Host where it had fallen and rode away.
Several days later, a local woman named Mrs. Scheck was walking along the path when she noticed an unusual light emanating from the ground. Drawing closer to investigate, she discovered the consecrated Host lying on the earth. Remarkably, the Host had divided into two pieces, but the two halves were joined together by thin threads of what appeared to be bleeding flesh.
Mrs. Scheck immediately informed the parish priest, Father Laurentius Pauer, who came to the site and reverently recovered the miraculous Host. The sacred Host with its flesh-threads was brought back to the church in solemn procession, and news of the miracle spread rapidly throughout the region.
The miracle was investigated by Church authorities and the Host was enshrined for veneration. A chapel was built at the location where the horse had refused to move and where the Host was found. For over 600 years, pilgrims have visited Weiten-Raxendorf to venerate the miracle and reflect on God's protection of the Blessed Sacrament even in the face of theft and desecration.