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Eucharistic Miracles of Ferrara,
Italy (1171)
 This
Eucharistic miracle took place in Ferrara, in the Basilica of Saint
Mary in Vado, on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1171. While celebrating Easter
Mass, Father Pietro da Verona, the prior of the basilica, reached the
moment of breaking the consecrated Host when he saw blood gush from
it and stain the ceiling vault above the altar with droplets. In 1595
the vault was enclosed within a small shrine and is still visible today
in the monumental Basilica of Santa Maria in Vado.
On March 28, 1171, the prior of the Canons Regular Portuensi,
Father Pietro da Verona, was celebrating Easter Mass with three confreres
(Bono, Leonardo and Aimone). At the moment of the breaking of the consecrated
Host, It sprung forth a gush of Blood that threw large drops on the
small ceiling vault above the altar. Histories tell of the “holy
terror of the celebrant and of the immense wonder of the people who
crowded the tiny church.” There were many eyewitnesses who told
of seeing the Host take on a bloody color and having seen in it the
figure of a baby. Bishop Amato of Ferrara and Archbishop Gherardo of
Ravenna were immediately informed of the event. They witnessed with
their own eyes the miracle, namely “the Blood which we saw redden
the altar ceiling vault.” The church immediately became a pilgrim
destination, and later was rebuilt and expanded on the orders of Duke
Ercole d'Este beginning in 1495. There are many sources regarding this
miracle. Among the most important is the Bull of Pope Eugene IV (March
30, 1442), in which the pontiff mentions the miracle in reference to
the testimonies of the faithful and ancient historical sources. The
1197 manuscript of Gerardo Cambrense, conserved in Canterbury's Lambeth
Library is the oldest document that mentions the miracle. The miracle
received recent attention in the “Gemma Ecclesiastica” (Budding
of the Church) by historian Antonio Samaritani. Another document which
dates to March 6, 1404, is the Bull of Cardinal Migliorati, in which
he grants indulgences to “those who visit the church and adore
the Miraculous Blood.” Even today, on the 28th day of every month
in the basilica, which is currently under the care of Saint Gaspare
del Bufalo's Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood, Eucharistic Adoration
is celebrated in memory of the miracle. And every year, in preparation
for the Feast of Corpus Christi, the solemn Forty Hours devotion is
celebrated. The eighth centenary of the Miracle was celebrated in 1971.
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