Morrovalle

In 1560 at Morrovalle, a devastating fire completely destroyed the Franciscan church, consuming everything in its path. On April 27, Father Battista da Ascoli was removing a piece of marble from what used to be the main altar when he discovered a pyx in a wall cavity. The pyx itself was completely burned except for the lid, and the corporal inside was scorched, but the large consecrated Host contained within was found to be still intact and in perfect condition, showing no signs of damage from the fire.

About this miracle

Pope Pius IV, upon hearing of the event, immediately sent the Bishop of Bertinoro, Ludovico di Forli, to Morrovalle to investigate the authenticity of the occurrence. After receiving the bishop's thorough account, according to tradition Pope Pius IV judged the preservation of the Host to be without natural cause and authorized public devotion to the miraculous Host with the Bull 'Holy Roman Church' in 1560, though this document has not been located in Vatican archives.

Scientific analysis

The Host remained physically intact despite the complete destruction of the church and the burning of the pyx container, with only the pyx lid surviving the intense fire. The corporal inside was scorched, demonstrating the intensity of the heat, yet the Host itself showed no signs of damage.

Church recognition

Formal Church documentation has not been located for this event. This means we cannot verify its ecclesial recognition status. The absence of documentation neither confirms nor calls into question the event's authenticity — it simply means the formal record has not been found.