Austria Weiten-Raxendorf (1411)

The Miracle of the Immovable Horse: A Sacred Relic's Hidden Journey

In fifteenth-century Austria, a series of thefts of consecrated Hosts prompted Church authorities to store them in the sacristy for safekeeping. Despite these measures, a thief managed to steal a consecrated Host from the parish church in Weiten in 1411. During his escape, the Host fell to the ground unnoticed. Several days later, a devout woman discovered it glowing brilliantly. Astonishingly, the Host was divided into two pieces, yet connected by threads of bleeding flesh.
The Thief's Deed

In the year 1411, in the quiet parish of Weiten, a thief snuck into the church’s sacristy under the veil of night. His eyes scanned the room for valuables until they landed on something sacred: a consecrated Host. Driven by greed or malice, he seized it and hid the holy relic inside one of his gloves, slipping away before anyone could catch him.

The Escape

As dawn broke, the thief mounted his horse, intent on escaping to the nearby village of Spitz. But instead of following the well-traveled main road, he chose a secluded path that wound through the valley of Mühldorf, a place known to the locals as "Am Schuß." Perhaps he thought the isolation would help him flee unnoticed.

The Mysterious Halt

As the rider approached a certain spot along the path, his horse suddenly halted, digging its hooves stubbornly into the ground. No matter how fiercely the thief whipped and kicked, the horse refused to budge, frozen as though turned to stone. Nearby, laborers working in the fields watched the man’s struggle and rushed to help. Yet, despite their efforts, the horse remained unmoving, locked in its place by some unseen force.

The Horse’s Flight and the Host's Fall

And then, without warning, the animal broke into a wild gallop. The abrupt movement caused the Host to slip from the thief’s glove and fall to the ground, unnoticed by the rider as he sped off.

The Miracle Discovered

Days passed, and a woman named Mrs. Scheck, traveling from the nearby village of Mannerdorf, walked along the same path. As she neared the spot where the Host had fallen, her eyes were drawn to a brilliant light encircling the ground. She approached with curiosity and awe, and to her astonishment, she found the consecrated Host lying before her, bathed in the glow. The Host had been broken into two pieces, yet they were still mysteriously held together by delicate threads of bleeding flesh.

A Chapel of Thanksgiving

Overcome with reverence, Mrs. Scheck gently picked up the Host and, with a heart full of devotion, decided to mark this sacred ground. In thanksgiving, she used her own resources to build a small chapel on the very spot where the miracle had occurred.

Pilgrims and the Church

Word of the miraculous event spread like wildfire, and soon pilgrims from all over began flocking to the site. So many came to honor the holy relic that, over time, the small chapel could no longer contain the throngs of people. To accommodate the growing number of visitors, a larger church was eventually built, where the faithful could gather each year to pay homage to the miraculous Host.

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