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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