Italy · 14th Century
Macerata
On April 25, 1356, in Macerata, a priest whose name is unknown was celebrating Mass in the chapel of the Church of St. Catherine, owned by Benedictine monks. During the breaking of the bread before Communion, the priest began to doubt the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated Host. At the precise moment when he broke the Host, to his great surprise, he saw an abundance of Blood flow from it, marking part of the corporal cloth and the chalice placed on the altar.
About this miracle
After Mass, the priest promptly reported the event to the bishop who opened a canonical investigation. Today, in the Cathedral of Holy Mary Assumed and St. Giuliano in Macerata, under the altar of the Most Holy Sacrament, it is possible to venerate the relic of the corporal marked by blood. The parchment describing the miracle is also preserved in the church, though the original investigation documents were lost during Napoleonic suppressions.
In 1493, one of the first confraternities in honor of the Most Blessed Sacrament was instituted at Macerata, and it was here that the pious practice of Forty Hours was established in 1556. The historian Ferdinando Ughelli cited this miracle in his work Sacred Italy of 1647 and describes how since the 14th century the corporal has been carried in solemn procession through the city, enclosed in an urn of crystal and silver, with the concourse of all Piceno.
Scientific analysis
The historian Ferdinando Ughelli cited this miracle in his work Sacred Italy of 1647 and describes how since the 14th century the corporal has been carried in solemn procession through the city, enclosed in an urn of crystal and silver, with the concourse of all Piceno. The blood-stained corporal remains preserved and is venerated under the altar of the Most Holy Sacrament.