The Eucharistic Miracle That Defies All Science

In 1730, 351 consecrated Hosts were stolen from the Church of San Francesco in Siena, Italy. Three days later, they were discovered in an alms box at the nearby sanctuary of Santa Maria in Provenzano, amid dust and cobwebs. But the most extraordinary part of the story was still to come. In 1914—184 years after the theft—specialists from the University of Siena examined the remaining Hosts. Their investigation confirmed that they were unleavened bread and documented their extraordinary state of preservation. A further non-invasive examination in 2014 reported continued preservation and no microbial growth in the samples tested. In this episode of Joy the Catholic, I tell the remarkable story of the Eucharistic Miracle of Siena: the theft, the recovery, the scientific examinations, and the consecrated Hosts that are still preserved in Siena today. What did the scientists actually say about them? And what makes this Eucharistic story so unusual? If you enjoy discovering beautiful and extraordinary stories from the Catholic world, please like, comment, and subscribe to Joy the Catholic. Sources / further reading: Archdiocese of Siena — History of the Eucharistic Prodigy⁠ Archdiocese of Siena — 2014 Examination⁠ CNR research record — diagnostic analysis of the Siena Hosts⁠ #EucharisticMiracle #Eucharist #Catholic #Siena #CatholicFaith