Miracle of Bolsena in 1263 a German Priest, Peter of Prague, Stopped at Bolsena While on a Pilgrimage to Rome. He Is Described A
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Miracle of Bolsena In 1263 a German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He is described as being a pious priest, but one who found it difficult to believe that Christ was actually present in the consecrated Host. While celebrating Holy Mass above the tomb of St. Christina (located in the church named for this martyr), he had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal. The priest was immediately confused. At first he attempted to hide the blood, but then he interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the neighboring city of Orvieto, the city where Pope Urban IV was then residing. The pope listened to the priest's account and absolved him. He then sent emissaries for an immediate investigation. When all the facts were ascertained, he ordered the bishop of the diocese to bring to Orvieto the Host and the linen cloth bearing the stains of blood. With archbishops, cardinals and other ecclesiastical dignitaries in attendance, the pope met the procession and, amid great pomp, had the relics placed in the cathedral. The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the cathedral of Orvieto. It is said that Pope Urban IV was prompted by this miracle to commission St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the propers for a Mass and an Office honoring the Holy Eucharist as the Body of Christ. One year after the miracle, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV introduced the saint's composition, and by means of a papal bull instituted the feast of Corpus Christi. After visiting the Orvieto cathedral, many pilgrims and tourists journey to St. Christina's Church in Bolsena to see for themselves the place where the miracle occurred. From the north aisle of the church one can enter the Chapel of the Miracle, where the stains on the paved floor are said to have been made by the blood from the miraculous Host. The altar of the miracle, which is surmounted by a 9th century canopy, is now situated in the grotto of St. Christina. A reclining statue of the saint is nearby. The Miracle of Bolsena is depicted on the walls of the Vatican in a painting by Raphael. Pope Urban IV meeting the stained Host and corporal in Orvieto Evidence of the miracles of St. Christina (left in Grotta di S. Cristina) and of Bolsena (right in Cappella del Miracolo - painting by Francesco Trevisani) During the Middle Ages Lake Bolsena was known as Lago di S. Cristina, due to the fact that St. Christina of Bolsena, a IIIrd century young martyr, was thrown into the lake tied to a slab of stone, because she refused to abandon her Christian beliefs. The stone however, instead of dragging her down, supported her and carried her to shore. A stone with the imprint of the saint's feet is venerated in a IXth century altar inside a cave, which was eventually turned into a shrine. The ancient Romans used to celebrate the safe return from a journey by dedicating similar stones to Rediculus, the god who protected travellers (see an example found at Dion). The Miracle of Bolsena occurred in 1263 at the shrine near the cave. A Bohemian priest, who was somewhat sceptical as to the doctrine of transubstantiation, was convinced of its truth by the miraculous appearance of drops of blood on the host he had just consecrated. The miraculous event was reported to Pope Urban IV who instituted the feast of Corpus Christi in the following year and planned the erection of the Cathedral of Orvieto, the town where he resided. Small stones with blood blots are kept in a precious reliquary in a chapel built in 1693 to celebrate the miracle. (from left to right) Cappella del Miracolo, Collegiata di S. Cristina and Oratorio di S. Leonardo The two miracles were celebrated in Bolsena by the erection of a series of buildings over a period which spans eight centuries as Collegiata di S. Cristina was consecrated in 1077 and the façade of Cappella del Miracolo was completed in 1863. yet the complex, notwithstanding the difference in style of its components, does not lack harmony. Detail of Collegiata di S. Cristina Collegiata di S. Cristina has an elegant façade built in 1492-94 at the expense of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (who in 1513 became Pope Leo X) when he was legate of Patrimonium Petri, the region aroundViterbo. Its neat design is probably a work by Francesco and Benedetto Buglioni, two Florentine ceramicists. The reliefs which decorate the pillars were inspired by paintings discovered in those years atDomus Aurea in Rome (see Abbazia di Grottaferrata for another example of this decoration). The image used as a background for this page shows a detail of these reliefs. (left) Coat of arms of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici; (right) glazed terracottas at Collegiata di S. Cristina (above - Madonna and Child between St. Christina and St. George) and at Oratorio di S. Leonardo (below - St. Leonard between two devotees) The influence of the Florentine Renaissance shows up in the glazed terracottas on the portals of Collegiata di S. Cristina and Oratorio di S. Leonardo. St. Christina was portrayed carrying the stone of his martyrdom, although the stone actually saved her. St. Leonard of Noblac was the patron saint of prisoners and this explains why he was portrayed carrying handcuffs. He became particularly popular among the captives in Muslim hands after Bohemond I of Antioch claimed to have been released from a Danishmend prison after he prayed to St. Leonard. Glazed terracottas: (left) S. Cristina attributed to Benedetto Buglioni; (right) heads of angels surrounding a wooden crucifix (left) Polyptych by Sano di Pietro, a XVth century painter from Siena; (right) S. Cristina and S. Biagio - school of Pastura, a XVth century painter from Viterbo .