Italy · 16th Century
Asti
On July 25, 1535, at approximately 7:00 in the morning, Father Domenico Occelli was celebrating Mass at the main altar of the Collegiate Church of San Secondo in Asti, Italy. This occurred during a turbulent period when the city was under the dominion of Emperor Charles V, and many of his troops, including heretical soldiers, were stationed in the city.
About this miracle
As Father Occelli prepared to break the consecrated Host during the Mass, something extraordinary occurred. Real blood suddenly gushed out from the consecrated Host. The priest could not believe his eyes and was so amazed that he turned to the congregation, asking them to come forward to the altar and observe the miraculous phenomenon occurring before them. The faithful witnesses rushed forward and saw the bleeding Host with their own eyes.
When the priest was about to consume the Host, the Blood disappeared at once and the Host returned to its natural appearance of pure white. The miracle profoundly affected all who witnessed it. According to historical documents, some heretical soldiers who were present converted to the Catholic faith on that very day, deeply moved by what they had witnessed.
The Church immediately launched an investigation into the event. Bishop Scipione Roero of Asti documented the facts in an official report that was sent to the Holy See. On November 6, 1535, just months after the miracle, Pope Paul III issued an Apostolic Brief recognizing the supernatural nature of the event and granting a plenary indulgence to those "who visited the Saint's church on the day commemorating the miracle and recited three Our Fathers and Three Hail Marys according to the intention of the Holy Father." A 16th-century painting in the Chapel of the Crucifixion depicts the miracle, and an inscription on marble in the church commemorates this remarkable event to this day.