Germany · 12th Century
Augsburg
In 1194, a woman from Augsburg who was particularly devoted to the Most Holy Sacrament received Holy Communion. After receiving, without being noticed, she removed the Host from her mouth, placed it in a handkerchief, and took the Blessed Sacrament home. She placed the Eucharistic Species in a container of wax inside a cupboard. In those days it was very difficult to find tabernacles in churches to practice Eucharistic adoration. Only in 1264, with the introduction of the Feast of Corpus Christi by Pope Urban IV, did such devotion become commonplace throughout the Church.
About this miracle
Five years passed, and on May 11, 1199, the woman, tormented by remorse, confessed to the superior of the convent of Heilig Kreuz, Father Berthold. At his direction, she brought the Host back to him. The priest carefully opened the wax covering that enclosed the Host and discovered that the Holy Eucharist had been transformed into bleeding flesh. The Host appeared divided into two parts connected together by thin threads of bleeding flesh.
Father Berthold went immediately to Bishop Udalkalk of Augsburg, who ordered that the miraculous Host be transferred with great solemnity to the cathedral. Accompanied by the clergy and the faithful, the Host was carried in procession and exhibited in a crystal ostensorium for public worship. Several analyses have been completed of the Holy Particle, which have consistently confirmed the presence of human flesh and blood. The miracle served to strengthen faith in the Real Presence during the medieval period and became an important witness to Eucharistic truth in southern Germany.
Scientific analysis
Several chemical and histological analyses have been performed on the Holy Particle over the centuries. These examinations have consistently identified the presence of human flesh and blood tissue.