Discover the Eucharistic Miracle of Macerata: the Blood that Stained the Corporal

Macerata, in the heart of the Marche, preserves in its cathedral the memory and the relic of a prodigy that occurred on 25 April 1356: during the fraction of the consecrated Host, a priest assailed by doubt saw an abundant stream of blood flow from the Host, staining the linen corporal and the chalice upon the altar.

The Mass in the Church of Santa Caterina

The miracle took place in the small chapel of the church of Santa Caterina, belonging to the Benedictine nuns. A priest whose name has not come down to us was celebrating Mass when, during the breaking of the bread and before Communion, he began to doubt the real presence of Jesus in the consecrated Host. It was at the very moment he broke the Host that, to his great terror, he saw blood gush from it: the drops marked the corporal and reached the chalice.

The Corporal of the Miracle

The blood-stained linen was immediately preserved as a relic. The bishop of the time ordered its safekeeping and began the first examinations; over the centuries the corporal of the miracle came to the cathedral of Macerata, where it is still kept and displayed for the veneration of the faithful on special liturgical occasions. Fourteenth-century documents, including acts in the diocesan archive, attest to the antiquity of the cult.

Macerata: from the Cathedral to the Sferisterio

The cathedral of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Julian, rebuilt in the eighteenth century to a design by Cosimo Morelli, dominates the highest point of the city. Macerata also offers visitors its famous Marian tradition: every year the night pilgrimage from Macerata to Loreto sets out from here, entrusting tens of thousands of pilgrims to Our Lady of the Holy House — a city where faith is at home.

Historical Clues and “Adventurous” Research:

• The fourteenth-century acts: the diocesan archive of Macerata preserves the oldest papers on the miracle: a palaeography trail for enthusiasts.
• The church of Santa Caterina: reconstruct the history and location of the Benedictine nuns’ church where the prodigy occurred.
• The expositions of the corporal: cataloguing the occasions on which the relic has been displayed over the centuries traces the evolution of the city’s devotion.

Useful Information for Pilgrims

• Address: Piazza Strambi, Macerata (MC), Italy
• Opening Hours: check with the Diocese of Macerata for celebration times and expositions of the relic.
• Getting There: Macerata is reached via the SS77 expressway (Val di Chienti); the cathedral stands at the highest point of the historic centre.

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