Spain Alcalà (1597)

The Unseen Miracle: The Vanished Hosts of Alcalá

In 1597, a remorseful thief confessed to stealing consecrated Hosts from a church near Alcalá, Spain. The Hosts were stored in a silver box and, miraculously, remained intact for eleven years. Recognized as a divine miracle, the Hosts were publicly adored and even honored by King Philip III. However, during the communist revolution in 1936, the Hosts were hidden by priests before being murdered and have never been found since. The mystery of the vanished Hosts continues to captivate and inspire, as their story lives on through the meticulous accounts of the city’s historians.
The Theft and Confession

In 1597, a thief stole consecrated Hosts along with precious objects from a church near Alcalá, Spain. Filled with remorse, he confessed his sins at the Jesuit church in Alcalá. The priest, moved by the thief’s repentance, instructed him to return the Hosts. However, to be prudent, the priest decided to store the Hosts in a silver box instead of consuming them immediately. After eleven years, the Hosts remained perfectly intact. Medical and theological analyses declared the preservation miraculous.

The Bandit’s Confession

The penitent thief, part of a band of Moorish gypsies who had sacked numerous churches, brought the consecrated Hosts to his confessor with tears of remorse. The confessor, deeply moved, informed his superior. Initially, they planned to consume the Hosts during Mass, but fearing possible poisoning, they chose to keep the Hosts in a silver box to decompose naturally.

The Miracle Unfolds

Eleven years later, the twenty-four Hosts were found still intact. Father Luis de la Palma, the Provincial, ordered that the Hosts be placed in a wine cellar with some unconsecrated hosts. Within a few months, the unconsecrated hosts had decomposed due to humidity, while the consecrated Hosts remained intact. Six years later, Father Palma made the Miracle public. Academic and medical tests, along with evaluations by numerous theologians, confirmed it as a true miracle.

Official Recognition and Adoration

In 1619, ecclesiastical authorities officially recognized the Miracle. The Holy Hosts were publicly adored before King Philip III, who, in 1620, presided over a solemn procession with the royal family. When Charles III expelled the Jesuits from Spain, the Sacred Hosts were moved to the magisterial church.

The Disappearance and Legacy

In 1936, during the communist revolution, priests hid the miraculous Hosts before being murdered. Despite numerous searches in the church and crypt, the Hosts have never been found. The story of the twenty-four Sacred Hosts remains a testament to divine intervention. As Don Anselmo Raymundo Tornero, a meticulous biographer of the city, exclaimed, “God has made a new miracle!” This enduring wonder continues to inspire and affirm faith in the miraculous.