The entire complex consists of the Church, Pastoral Ministry premises, and the canonical house belonging to the former convent of the Observant or Zoccolanti Friars Minor, and it comprises a ground floor, first, and second floor.
The buildings facing Piazza S. Francesco are of three different heights and form a single structure.
Looking from left to right, the first section consists of the bell tower with an unplastered wall. From bottom to top along the same vertical line, there are five small openings that provide light and air to the internal staircase of the bell tower. Below the bell chamber, a large clock is positioned.
At the center of the façade, there is a large arch flanked by two smaller arches on either side. The upper section features seven windows of equal size, with arched tops containing stained glass and lower sections with balustrades. The façade is crowned by a large triangular pediment with a central cross. On the left side, as an integral part of the church, stands the bell tower, harmonizing with the entire structure. The main façade, along with the bell tower, is clad in brick.
A small portico leads into the interior of the church.
The church has a rectangular floor plan, consisting of a single nave divided into four bays by pilasters, round arches, and groin vaults over the hall and the presbytery. In the background, the semicircular apse is topped by a spherical dome.
Adjacent to the church, with the same structure, rise the former conventual premises.
Currently, on the ground floor, the side with the portico and the upper areas (first and second floors) that run alongside the church, as well as a section on the northwest side, retain their original features and are used by the clergy. The remaining area, partially destroyed by wartime events and later rebuilt, is used by the local health authority (ASL). In the 18th century, the sanctuary underwent a transformation from Romanesque-Gothic to Baroque style.
**Description:** The Eucharistic Miracle—visible in the sanctuary—has the dimensions of the host currently used in the Latin Church. It is slightly brown, but when viewed in transparency, it takes on a reddish hue. The coagulated blood is earthy in color and tends toward ochre yellow. Since 1713, the flesh has been preserved in an artistic silver monstrance, finely chiseled by Neapolitan school artists. The blood, however, is contained in an ancient rock crystal ampulla. Scientific research conducted so far on the Eucharistic Miracle confirms that the venerated objects are human blood and flesh.
**Epiphany:** The transubstantiation of the host into flesh and the wine into blood is venerated here.
**Relic:** Blood, Other
**Location:** Other
**Collection of ex-votos:** No
**16th century (construction of the entire complex)**
The parish complex is located in the municipality of Ortona (CH), between Via Cavour and Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi. Historical, archival, and cadastral research has shown that the parish complex, consisting of the Church and Pastoral Ministry premises, is what remains of the church and convent built since the 16th century.
On May 12, 1252, the Bishop of Chieti, Landulfo, entrusted the Church of San Legonziano to the Friars Minor. According to legend, the relics were already present in the sanctuary when the Franciscans arrived, but the document confirming this transfer makes no mention of them. A plaque in the sanctuary dating back to 1636 recalls the miracle and documents the placement of the relics in a side altar.
In 1807, following the Napoleonic suppressions, the friars were removed. The sanctuary continued to be officiated, but its worship declined. In the 1970s, after scientific studies were conducted on the relics, an increasing number of faithful began visiting the sanctuary.
According to tradition, in the 8th century, a miracle occurred in Lanciano in the church of the Basilian monks dedicated to St. Legonzian. During the celebration of Mass, a monk was tormented by doubt about the real presence of Christ in the sacrament. The doubt was resolved by the miracle: the transubstantiation of the host into flesh and the wine into blood. The latter coagulated into five irregular globules, varying in shape and size.
An inscription from 1636 recounts the miracle that took place in the Church of St. Legonzian and attests to the transfer of the relic to a side altar.
The Eucharistic Miracle was the subject of several investigations by ecclesiastical authorities: the first in 1574, followed by others in 1637, 1770, 1886, and finally in 1981.
Pope Clement XIV is said to have granted an indulgence in the 18th century.
Tradition holds that the sanctuary was first entrusted to the Basilians, then to the Benedictines, as evidenced by a document from 1195, which records the possessions of San Giovanni in Venere. In 1252, the Church of San Legonzian was under the authority of the Bishop of Chieti and was likely officiated by secular clergy. Shortly afterward, it was assigned to the Franciscans. (Cf. Marciani C., *Monumenti abruzzesi. La chiesa di S. Francesco di Lanciano*, pp. 44-46).
Via Tesauri, 6, 66034 Lanciano CH, Italy
