Santuario del Miracolo Eucaristico

The Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle is housed in the Church of San Francesco in Lanciano. Catholic tradition holds that a Eucharistic miracle occurred here in the eighth century; the church preserves the relics venerated in connection with that account.

Why it matters

The sanctuary is a major site of Catholic devotion in Abruzzo. Its own tradition dates the event to between about 730 and 750, when a Basilian monk is said to have witnessed the consecrated bread and wine change into flesh and blood. The story has shaped Lanciano's religious identity and drawn pilgrims to the church for centuries.

What to notice

The relics are displayed in a rayed monstrance and a crystal chalice. The sanctuary's account records examinations of the relics in 1574 and in 1970, the latter conducted by physician Edoardo Linoli with Professor Ruggero Bertelli. The church also contains an exhibition dedicated to Eucharistic miracles and archaeological remains associated by the friars with the earlier church of San Legonziano.

Context and history

The relics were transferred from the earlier church of San Legonziano to San Francesco in 1258. Written accounts of the tradition survive from the seventeenth century, while ecclesiastical recognitions were recorded in 1574, 1637, 1770, 1866 and 1970. In 1970, with authorisation from Rome, the friars entrusted the relics to Linoli for examination. The friars returned to Lanciano in 1953 after their expulsion during the Napoleonic period.