01
August 1730
According to the Archdiocese of Siena, thieves took a ciborium containing 351 consecrated hosts from the Basilica of San Francesco on August 14. The hosts were found on August 17 in the nearby sanctuary of Santa Maria in Provenzano and returned to San Francesco in procession.
02
What is preserved
In its 2014 account, the archdiocese said 223 hosts remained and are venerated in the basilica. It describes repeated examinations and quotes a 1914 commission on their unusual preservation. The numbers, tests and devotional interpretation are those reported by the archdiocese, not an independent modern verification by this site.
03
More than an anomaly
In Siena the story also carries a memory of loss and recovery: people sought what had been taken and kept watch over what came back. The archdiocese records the continuing devotion around the hosts and the annual remembrance of their discovery.
Sources and image credit
Archdiocese of Siena, history of the Eucharistic event
Editorially checked September 28, 2026. Independent devotional collection. Not affiliated with the Carlo Acutis Association.