It was the 8th century from the birth of Christ. The Sacrament of the Eucharist was celebrated in the Church of San Legontius in the ancient Italian city of Lanciano. But in the heart of one of the priests who served the Liturgy that day, a doubt suddenly arose whether the Body and Blood of the Lord, hidden under the guise of bread and wine, were true. The chronicles did not convey to us the name of this hieromonk, but the doubt that arose in his soul became the cause of the Eucharistic miracle, revered to this day.
The priest drove away doubts from himself, but they persistently returned again and again. “Why should I believe that bread ceases to be bread and wine becomes Blood? Who will prove it? Moreover, outwardly they do not change in any way and have never changed. Perhaps these are just symbols, just a memory of the Last Supper:"
On the night when He was betrayed, He took bread: He blessed, broke and gave to His disciples, saying: "Receive, taste: this is my body, which is broken for you for the remission of sins." Likewise, the cup, saying: "Drink from it all: this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins."
The priest uttered the holy words of the Eucharistic Canon with fear, but doubts continued to torment him. Yes, He, the sacrificial lamb, could, by His divine power, turn wine into blood and bread into flesh. He could do everything, having come by the will of the Heavenly Father. But He left a long time ago, leaving this sinful world and giving it His holy words and His blessing as a consolation: And, perhaps, His Flesh and Blood? But is it possible? Has not the true Sacrament of the Sacrament gone with Him into the heavenly world? Has not the Holy Eucharist become only a rite - and nothing more? The priest tried in vain to restore peace and faith in his soul. Meanwhile, the transubstantiation has taken place. With words of prayer, he broke the Eucharistic Bread, and then a cry of amazement resounded in the small church. Under the fingers of the hieromonk, the refracted Bread suddenly turned into something else - he did not immediately understand what it was. And in the bowl there was no longer wine - there was a thick scarlet Liquid similar to … Blood. The stunned priest stared at the object in his hands: it was a thin slice of Flesh, reminiscent of the muscle tissue of a human body. The monks surrounded the priest, struck by the miracle, unable to contain their amazement. And he confessed to them his doubts, resolved in such a miraculous way. Having finished the Holy Liturgy, he silently fell to his knees and plunged into a long prayer. What did he pray for then? Thank you for the sign given from above? Did you apologize for your lack of faith? We will never know. But one thing is truly known: since then, the miraculous Blood and Flesh have been kept in the city of Lanciano for twelve centuries, materialized during the Eucharist in the Church of San Legontius (now San Francesco). Then the news of the miracle quickly spread around the nearby cities and regions,and lines of pilgrims were drawn to Lanciano.
Centuries passed - and the wonderful Gifts became the object of attention of scientists. Since 1574, various experiments and observations were carried out on the Holy Gifts, and from the beginning of the 1970s they began to be carried out on an experimental level. But the data obtained by some scientists did not satisfy others. Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Siena Odoardo Linoldi, an eminent specialist in the field of anatomy, pathological histology, chemistry and clinical microscopy, conducted research with his colleagues in November 1970 and March 1971 and came to the following conclusions. The Holy Gifts, which have been preserved in Lanciano since the 8th century, represent genuine human Flesh and Blood. The flesh is a fragment of the muscle tissue of the heart, it contains the myocardium, endocardium and vagus nerve in section. Maybe,a fragment of flesh also contains the left ventricle - such a conclusion allows one to draw a significant thickness of the myocardium located in the tissues of the Flesh. Both Flesh and Blood belong to the same blood group: AB. The Blood found on the Turin Shroud also belongs to it. Blood contains proteins and minerals in percentages normal to human blood. Scientists emphasized that the most amazing thing is that Flesh and Blood for twelve centuries are preserved under the influence of physical, atmospheric and biological agents without artificial protection and the use of special preservatives. In addition, the Blood, when rendered in a liquid state, remains suitable for transfusion, having all the properties of fresh blood. Ruggiero Bertelli, Professor of Normal Human Anatomy at the University of Siena,conducted research in parallel with Odoardo Linoli and received the same results. In the course of repeated experiments carried out in 1981 with the use of more advanced equipment and taking into account new advances in science in the field of anatomy and pathology, these results were again confirmed.
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According to the testimony of contemporaries of the miracle, the materialized Blood later coagulated into five balls of different shapes, then hardened. Interestingly, each of these balls, taken separately, weighs the same as all five together. This is contrary to the elementary laws of physics, but this is a fact that scientists still cannot explain. Placed in an antique bowl made of a single piece of rock crystal, the miraculous blood has been seen by pilgrims and travelers visiting Lanciano for twelve centuries.