Blood from the Host: The Astonishing Miracle of Macerata

The Event of 1356

On April 25, 1356, in Macerata, a priest (whose name is not recorded) was celebrating Mass in the chapel of the Church of St. Catherine, owned by the Benedictine monks. During the breaking of the bread, just before Communion, the priest began to doubt the Real Presence of Jesus in the consecrated Host. To his astonishment, at the moment he broke the Host, an abundance of Blood flowed from it, marking part of the corporal and the chalice on the altar.

Preservation and Veneration of the Relic

Today, in the Cathedral of Holy Mary Assumed and St. Giuliano in Macerata, under the altar of the Most Holy Sacrament, the relic of the "corporal marked by blood" is preserved and venerated. Additionally, the church holds the parchment that describes the miracle. Historian Ferdinando Ughelli, in his work "Sacred Italy" (1647), detailed how since the 14th century, the corporal has been carried in solemn procession through the city, enclosed in an urn of crystal and silver.

Historical Accounts

All historical documents consistently describe the miraculous event: an anonymous priest, during Mass, was struck by strong doubts about the reality of transubstantiation. When he broke the Great Host, Blood dropped from it onto the corporal and the chalice. The priest immediately informed Bishop Nicholas of San Martino, who ordered that the relic of the bloodstained cloth be carried into the cathedral and instituted a formal canonical process.

Commemorations and Confraternities

In 1493, one of the first confraternities in honor of the Most Blessed Sacrament was established in Macerata. The pious practice of the Forty Hours devotion was instituted in 1556. Every year, on the occasion of Corpus Christi, the corporal of the miracle is carried in procession behind the Most Blessed Sacrament, continuing the tradition of veneration and remembrance of this miraculous event.