The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano

Lanciano is a small Italian town on the Adriatic coast.
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Lanciano means "the lance," referring to St Longinus, the soldier whose lance pierced the heart of Jesus, who according to legend, came from this town.Sometime around the year 700, a priest-monk of the Basilian order in Lanciano is said to have been tormented by doubts regarding the supernatural transformation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ.One morning, when he was celebrating mass in the Church of St. Legontian, his doubts weighed upon him more heavily than ever. But then, as he was pronouncing the words of consecration ("This is My Body..., This is my Blood..."), to his amazement, he witnessed the host and the wine visibly changing into real flesh and bright red blood, which soon coagulated into five small clots.At first the monk was frightened and confused, but his fears soon gave way to a spiritual happiness that filled his soul, and he turned to those around him, exclaiming "...Behold the Flesh and the blood of our Most Beloved Christ." At those words, the bystanders ran to the altar and began, with tears, to cry for mercy. All those who had witnesses the miracle, soon spread the news throughout the entire city.
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The five blood clods.
..>Today twelve, centuries later, the flesh and the five blood clots remains more or less intact. The Host of Flesh has a fibrous appearance and a yellow-dark-brown color, which becomes light-reddish when lit through. The tissue sheet is thinner and badly ripped in the middle. The blood contained in the chalice, has an earthly color, inclined toward the yellow of ocher, and consists of five coagulated globules.Since 1713, both have been preserved in an artistic silver Monstrance, delicately embossed by an artisan of the Neapolitan school. The blood clots are enclosed in an ancient cup made of Rock-crystal. Today the host and blood can be seen in the St. Legontian church in Lanciano, where the miracle originally occurred. Scientific StudiesLocal Church authorities as well as the Vatican have officially authenticated the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano on numerous occasions since the middle Ages.
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The Church of St. Legontian today.
..>The miraculous flesh and blood were submitted for recognition by ecclesiastic authorities and recognized as being authentic in 1574, 1637, 1770 and in 1886.In 1970-71, a rigorous scientific analysis of the miracle was performed by Dr. Odorardo Linoli, professor in Anatomy, Pathological Histology, Chemistry and Clinical Microscopy. He was assisted by Prof. Dr. Ruggero Bertelli, a Professor of anatomy at the University of Siena.The research done on the fragments of the Blood and the Flesh yielded the following results:
The Blood is real blood and the Flesh is real flesh.
The Flesh consists of muscular tissue of the myocardium (heart tissue).
The Blood and the Flesh belong to the human species.
The blood type is identical in the Blood and in the Flesh, type AB (identical to the Blood-type found on the Turin Shroud).
The proteins in the blood are in the same proportions as those found in normal fresh blood.
There is no trace whatsoever of any materials or agents used for preservation of flesh or blood.
The preservation of the Flesh and of the Blood, which were left in their natural state for twelve centuries and exposed to the action of atmospheric and biological agents, remains