01
The story as the sanctuary tells it
A monk of the Eastern rite was celebrating Mass in Lanciano when he struggled with belief in the Real Presence. According to the sanctuary tradition, the bread and wine visibly changed. The monk is unnamed. The sanctuary places the account broadly in the eighth century, perhaps between 730 and 750; it says no source fixes an exact day or year.
02
The witness today
The relics remain at the Church of San Francesco. The sanctuary traces their preservation through successive communities and describes examinations over the centuries. A written account dating to 1631 is much later than the event it describes, a distinction worth keeping in view.
03
What examination can say
The sanctuary reports laboratory examination of samples in 1970-71, including findings described as human cardiac tissue and blood group AB. Those are its account of a particular examination; a laboratory result cannot by itself establish the ancient event, divine causation, or a complete chain of custody across twelve centuries.
Sources and image credit
Sanctuary of the Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano
Editorially checked September 28, 2026. Independent devotional collection. Not affiliated with the Carlo Acutis Association.