Italy · 13th Century
Florence
The reliquaries of two Eucharistic miracles which took place in 1230 and 1595 are held in Florence's Church of Saint Ambrose. In the miracle of 1230, a distracted priest left several drops of consecrated wine in the chalice after Mass. The next day, returning to celebrate Mass in the same church, he found in the chalice drops of living Blood coagulated and incarnated. According to tradition, Pope Clement IV and Pope Boniface IX declared that a miracle had taken place. This relic can be seen today, almost 800 years later, and remains incorrupt.
About this miracle
The other Eucharistic miracle took place on Good Friday in 1595, when several fragments of the Host were miraculously unharmed in a church fire. Six Hosts fell on the smoldering carpet and became attached together as one. Today, over 400 years later, these Hosts are incorrupt, defying the natural laws of organic decay. People come to pray in front of them throughout the year.
Both relics are preserved at the Church of Saint Ambrose in Florence and are displayed together for public veneration during special occasions. These two miracles, occurring 365 years apart in the same city, serve as powerful testimonies to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. They demonstrate both the transformation that occurs at consecration and the supernatural preservation that can occur when God wishes to confirm the faith of His people.
Scientific analysis
The 1230 miracle: Drops of consecrated wine transformed into coagulated living Blood which has remained incorrupt for almost 800 years. The 1595 miracle: Six Hosts survived a fire that destroyed the church, falling on smoldering carpet but remaining unburned. The Hosts fused together into one and have remained incorrupt for over 400 years, defying natural organic decay.