Spain Silla (1907)

The Stolen Hosts That Defied Time: A Century-Old Eucharistic Miracle

In 1907, consecrated Hosts were stolen from the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Silla, Spain. Miraculously, they were found two days later, hidden under a stone, completely intact. Decades later, the Hosts remained uncorrupted, leading the Archbishop of Valencia to declare their preservation a miracle. Despite the destruction of original records during the Spanish Civil War, the miracle was reaffirmed in 1982, and to this day, the uncorrupted Hosts are venerated, standing as a powerful testament to the mystery of faith.

Discovery of the Miraculous Hosts

In 1907, the town of Silla, located on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, became the site of a remarkable Eucharistic miracle. On March 25, 1907, during the celebration of Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation, Father Fernand Gomez, the pastor of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, encountered a distressing situation. As he opened the tabernacle to distribute Holy Communion, he discovered that the tabernacle door had been left ajar and the silver ciborium, containing consecrated Hosts, was missing.

For two days, the fate of the Sacred Species remained unknown, causing great anxiety among the faithful. Then, miraculously, the Hosts were found intact, hidden under a stone in a small garden just outside the city. With great reverence, Father Gomez organized a solemn procession to return the Hosts to the church, where they were placed back in the tabernacle.

Preservation of the Hosts: A Sign of the Divine

Years passed, and the Hosts remained in a state of perfect preservation, defying natural explanations. By 1934, it became evident that the Hosts had remained unchanged since the day they were found, nearly three decades earlier. This extraordinary occurrence led the Archbishop of Valencia to initiate a formal process to declare the preservation of the Hosts a miracle. He sealed the reliquary containing the Hosts with wax and documented the event in detail.

Tragically, in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, anarchist-communists set fire to the bishop's residence, resulting in the loss of the original documentation. Despite this setback, the miraculous Hosts continued to inspire devotion.

Renewed Canonical Recognition

In 1982, Archbishop Monsignor Miguel Roca of Valencia reopened the case to investigate the miraculous preservation of the Hosts. He initiated a new canonical process and established guidelines for the official veneration of the Sacred Hosts. These guidelines ensured that the miracle would be recognized and revered by future generations.

The Miracle Endures

Today, more than a century after their discovery, the miraculous Hosts are preserved in the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Silla. Despite the passage of time, they remain intact, a powerful testament to the enduring mystery and presence of the Eucharist. Visitors and faithful alike continue to adore the uncorrupted Hosts, which have now become a symbol of unwavering faith in this small town near Valencia.