Holy Eucharist - Eucharistic Miracle - Siena, Italy - 1730

Eucharistic Miracle
He Shall Live Forever 

Siena, Italy - 1730
Feast Day: Adoration the 17th of Each Month

Siena is a medieval city located in Tuscany, a region of central Italy. In the 14th century it was home to Saint Catherine and in the 15th century Saint Bernardine.  

                         

On August 14, 1730, the day before the Feast of the Assumption, the priests of the Basilica of Saint Francis placed 351 consecrated Hosts into the ciborium in anticipation of the great crowd who would gather the following day. Later that day thieves broke into the Tabernacle and stole the golden ciborium along with the consecrated Hosts. The priests discovered the robbery the following day while preparing to celebrate Mass for the Feast of the Assumption.

Three days later on August 17th a man praying in the Church of Saint Mary in Provenzano noticed something white sticking out of the alms box.  All 351 consecrated Hosts were found inside, 348 whole Hosts and 6 halves.   The faithful people celebrated the finding of the consecrated Hosts, placed them in a monstrance and walked in solemn procession with the Hosts to the Basilica of Saint Francis.  

Instead of distributing the Hosts for consumption to the faithful people, they were retained.  In situations where it is thought that consecrated Hosts have been contaminated, it is not required that they be consumed. In these situations, the Hosts will be retained and venerated in a sacred vessel until they deteriorate.  But they did not deteriorate. 

Between the year 1730 and 1780,  bishops of the Church would be allowed to receive one of the Hosts. They always reported that the Hosts tasted fresh.  Now there were only 230 left.  It was decided that no one would be allowed to receive the Hosts - because a miracle had truly occurred. 

Fourteen tests were carried out over the years to determine the condition of the Hosts.  The most scientific examination was in 1914.   

In 1914, Pope Saint Pius X authorized an examination of the Hosts which was carried out by a number of nutritionists, health specialists, chemists and pharmacists.    

Chief chemical examiner of the Hosts in 1914 was Siro Grimaldi, professor of chemistry at the University of Siena and director of the Municipal Chemical Laboratory. 

The final conclusion, "the Hosts of Siena are a classic example of the perfect conservation of particles of unleavened bread, consecrated in the year 1730, and constitute a singular phenomenon which reverses the natural laws of conservation of organic matter." (1)

More tests were done in 1922, 1950 and 1951.  The results were the same. On September 14, 1980, Saint Pope John Paul II venerated the miraculous Hosts calling them the Real Presence of Our Lord. 

Today the miraculous Hosts are still housed in the Basilica of Saint Francis.  During the summer they are kept in the Piccolimini Chapel and in the winter the Martinozzi Chapel.

This is a Eucharistic Miracle.  We witness this same Eucharistic Miracle every time we attend Mass.  

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Index of Eucharistic Miracles  ___

Notes
(1) The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (January 2009), p. 148 - 149. 

Pictures 
1.  Exterior of the Basilica of San Francesco
2.  The Hosts in the processional monstrance - The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (January 2009), p. 148 - 149.
3. Another view of the Hosts in the processional monstrance from filhodamisericordia.blogspot.com.
4.  Saint Pope John Paul II in adoration in front of the Hosts September 14, 1980 -  The Eucharistic Miracles of the World (January 2009), p. 148 - 149.