A priest celebrating Mass saw the consecrated wine overflow from the chalice as blood. The bloodstained corporal and purificator were preserved. A second miracle occurred in 1465 when a stolen Host was found bleeding. The Basilica of the Holy Sacrament was built to house both relics.
History
In 1222, during Mass at the church in Meerssen, a priest witnessed the consecrated wine overflow from the chalice in the form of blood, staining the corporal and purificator. The miracle was investigated and approved by Church authorities, and the stained cloths were preserved as relics. In 1465, a second Eucharistic miracle occurred in Meerssen when a consecrated Host that had been stolen from the church was found bleeding. The Host was recovered and preserved alongside the earlier relics. The double miracle led to the construction of the Basilica of the Holy Sacrament, which became one of the most important pilgrimage churches in the southern Netherlands. The annual procession of the Holy Sacrament has been held for centuries.
Scientific Findings
Both relics — the bloodstained corporal from 1222 and the bleeding Host from 1465 — have been preserved for centuries. The occurrence of two separate Eucharistic miracles at the same location is considered highly unusual.
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