Eucharistic Miracle of Blanot,
France (1331)
 The
Eucharistic Miracle of Blanot took place during
the Easter Mass of 1331. During Communion, a Host
fell to a cloth that was held below the communicant’s
mouth. The priest tried to pick it up, but it
was not possible. The Host had transformed into
Blood, resulting in a stain – the same size
as the Host – on the cloth. That cloth is
preserved today in the village of Blanot.
In the 14th Century, Blanot was
a small village in the center of France and part
of the diocese of Autun. The bishop of this town,
Pierre Bertrand, was involved in certain canonical
discussions with an official of his curia, Jean
Jarossier, which resulted in documentation that
gives us many details about this Eucharistic miracle.
The miracle occurred on Easter
Sunday, March 31, 1331, at the first Mass of the
day, which was offered by Hugues de la Baume,
the vicar of Blanot. One of the last people to
receive Communion was a woman named Jacquette,
the widow of Regnaut d'Effour. The priest placed
the Host on her tongue, turned, and started walking
toward the altar. He did not notice that a particle
from the Host fell and landed upon a cloth that
covered the woman’s hands. Thomas Caillot,
who was assisting at the Mass went to the altar
and said: “Father, you must return to the
rail because the Body of Our Lord fell from the
mouth of this lady onto the cloth.” The
priest immediately went to the woman, still kneeling
at the railing, but instead of finding the Host
on the cloth, he saw a small spot of Blood.
When Mass was over, the priest
took the cloth into the sacristy and placed the
stained area in a basin filled with clear water.
After washing the spot and scrubbing it numerous
times, he found that it had become darker and
larger (reaching about the size and shape of a
Host). Moreover, the water in the basin turned
bloody. The priest took a knife and, after washing
it, cut from the cloth the piece bearing the bloody
imprint of the Host. He held it up and said: “Good
people: here there is the Precious Blood of Our
Lord Jesus Christ. I sought in every way to wash
it and to wring it, and in no way was I able to
remove it from this cloth.” This square
of cloth was reverently placed in the tabernacle.
Every year, on the feast of Corpus Christi, the
relic is solemnly exposed in the church of Blanot.
An additional note: The Hosts
that remained in the ciborium after the distribution
of Holy Communion on that Easter Sunday were also
returned to the tabernacle, never to be dsitributed.
Hundreds of years later they were found to have
been perfectly preserved.
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