Discover the Eucharistic Miracle of Gruaro: the Blood-Stained Altar Cloth Kept in Valvasone

The Eucharistic miracle of Gruaro is a prodigy “of two bell towers”: it took place in 1294 at the washing place of Gruaro, on Venetian soil, but its relic — an altar cloth marked with the blood of a consecrated Host — has been kept for centuries beyond the Tagliamento river, in the Cathedral of Valvasone, the only one in Italy dedicated to the Most Holy Body of Christ.

The Prodigy at the Washing Place

In 1294 a woman was washing one of the altar cloths of the church of San Giusto in Gruaro at the washing place built along the Versiola channel. Suddenly she saw the linen become stained with blood: looking closer, she realised the blood was flowing from a consecrated Host left among the folds of the cloth, forgotten after a celebration. Astonished, she at once alerted the parish priest, and news of the prodigy spread rapidly through the whole area.

The Dispute and the Arrival in Valvasone

The relic immediately became an object of devotion — and of contention among the communities and jurisdictions of the area. After long vicissitudes, through the intervention of the Holy See the cloth was entrusted to the lords of Valvasone, who undertook to build a church worthy of housing it: thus was born the Cathedral of the Most Holy Body of Christ, consecrated in the fifteenth century, where the sacred cloth is still preserved and venerated.

The Cathedral of Valvasone: a Renaissance Treasure Chest

Besides the relic, the cathedral holds a unique treasure: the sixteenth-century Venetian organ with doors painted by Pordenone, the oldest Venetian organ still in working order. The medieval village of Valvasone, one of the most beautiful in Italy with its castle and arcaded streets, provides the perfect setting for the pilgrimage.

Historical Clues and “Adventurous” Research:

• The historian Antonio Nicoletti (1765): his account is among the most authoritative documents on the miracle: trace it and compare it with the oral traditions of Gruaro.
• The dispute over the relic: the records of the contention between Gruaro, Cordovado and Valvasone show how much weight a relic could carry in the medieval geography of faith.
• The Versiola washing place: locate on Gruaro’s territory the site of the prodigy, still remembered in local place names.

Useful Information for Pilgrims

• Address: Piazza Mercato, Valvasone Arzene (PN), Italy; the site of the prodigy is in Gruaro (VE)
• Opening Hours: check with the parish of Valvasone or the Diocese of Concordia-Pordenone.
• Getting There: Valvasone is a few minutes from the Casarsa exit of the A28 motorway; Gruaro is some twenty kilometres away, in the province of Venice.

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