Ugolino di Prete Ilario, Pope Urban IV verifies the Eucharistic miracle of Bolsena Orvieto (Chapel of the holy Corporal of Bolsena, Orvieto Cathedral)
The solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, dates back to the Middle Ages. From the tenth to the fourteenth centuries, the Church worked at developing a language that could adequately express her belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. In the midst of this debate, in the first half of the thirteenth century, St Juliana of Liege, a Norbertine nun from Belgium, developed a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and petitioned bishops and even the Pope for the establishment of a feast day in its honour. Her petitions gained traction and eventually culminated in the Eucharistic Miracle of Bolsena-Orvieto. The miracle occurred thus:
In 1263 a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at the Italian town of Bolsena while on pilgrimage to Rome. He was, by all accounts, a pious priest, but one who, perhaps precisely because of his deep reverence for God, found it difficult to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. While celebrating a Mass at Bolsena, having barely spoken the words of Consecration, Peter was astounded to observe blood seeping from the consecrated Host, over his hands and then onto the altar and corporal. Confused, Peter initially attempted to hide the blood, but soon realised the significance of the miracle that had occurred. At that time, Pope Urban IV (who, prior to his election had been a supporter of St Juliana’s devotion to the Blessed Sacrament), was residing at the nearby city of Orvieto. Leaving the Host and corporal in Bolsena, Peter travelled to Orvieto for an audience with the Pope. Pope Urban listened to the priest’s account and set his conscience at ease with absolution. He oversaw an investigation into the purported miracle and, when all the facts were ascertained, ordered the bishop of the diocese to bring the Host and blood-stained corporal from Bolsena to Orvieto. With archbishops, cardinals and other dignitaries in attendance, the Pope met the procession and, amid great ceremony, had the relics placed in the cathedral. This is revered as the first Eucharistic procession. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto. Inspired by this miracle, Urban IV began the process for the establishment of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. He commissioned St Thomas Aquinas to compose the texts for a Mass and Divine Office honouring the Holy Eucharist as the Body of Christ. One year after the miracle, Pope Urban IV introduced St Thomas’s compositions to the Church and, by means of papal bull, instituted the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.
In 2015, the diocese of Orvieto launched a restoration project for the corporal. During the restoration the blood deposits on the corporal were subject to scientific analysis. One of the experts to work on the corporal was Ester Giovacchini, an expert in conservation, restoration and ancient fabrics. Upon completion of the restoration, Ester Giovacchini reported that analysis of the corporal under UV fluorescence light “indicates the presence of blood, which reflects a blackish color, split into plasma and serum which reflects a yellow-ivory color.”
For a detailed account of the science behind other Eucharistic miracles, read Dr Franco Serafini’s book A Cardiologist Examines Jesus: The Stunning Science Behind Eucharistic Miracles (2021) available from veritatis.com.au.