Discover the Eucharistic Miracle of Cascia: the Host that Bled between the Pages of a Breviary

Cascia, the Umbrian town famous throughout the world for Saint Rita, also guards one of the most singular Eucharistic relics in Italy: a breviary page stained with the blood that flowed from a consecrated Host in 1330. A prodigy born of an act of carelessness, transformed by Providence into a perpetual reminder of the reverence owed to the Blessed Sacrament.

The Irreverent Act and the Prodigy

In 1330 a priest was called to the bedside of a sick farmer in the countryside between Siena and Cascia. To save himself a second journey, he took a consecrated Host and — instead of placing it in a pyx — slipped it carelessly between the pages of his breviary. When he reached the sick man and opened the book, he found the two pages soaked with living blood: the Host had dissolved, as it were, into a crimson stain that had soaked into the paper.

Shaken, the priest hurried to confess what had happened to an Augustinian of Siena, Friar Simone Fidati, a man of great holiness, who took the two miraculous pages into his keeping. One was brought to Perugia, the other came to Cascia, where it has been venerated for almost seven centuries.

The Relic in the Basilica of Saint Rita

The page of the miracle is today kept in the Basilica of Saint Rita, in the chapel dedicated to the Eucharistic Miracle, a pilgrimage destination together with the incorrupt body of the saint of “impossible causes”. Every year, especially during the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the relic is the focus of special veneration, and tradition still discerns in the bloodstain the outline of a face.

Cascia and Blessed Simone Fidati

The miracle is bound to the figure of Blessed Simone Fidati of Cascia, one of the most authoritative Augustinian preachers of the fourteenth century. His reputation for holiness gave the prodigy immediate credibility and ensured its preservation. To visit Cascia is thus to encounter two intertwined stories of grace: that of the Eucharistic blood and that of Saint Rita.

Historical Clues and “Adventurous” Research:

• The twin page of Perugia: of the two stained pages, one remained in Perugia: following its traces through Perugian archives and churches is an absorbing pursuit.
• The writings of Simone Fidati: the Blessed left important spiritual works; searching them for echoes of the miracle is an exercise in historical reading.
• The “face” in the blood: popular devotion recognises in the stain the profile of a suffering face: compare the ancient descriptions with the relic visible today.

Useful Information for Pilgrims

• Address: Piazza Beata Rita, Cascia (PG), Italy
• Opening Hours: check the website of the Sanctuary of Saint Rita of Cascia for visiting and celebration times.
• Getting There: Cascia is reached via the Valnerina road (SS320); parking is available near the sanctuary.

Historical source: the international exhibition “The Eucharistic Miracles of the World” created by Carlo Acutis (miracolieucaristici.org).