The Eucharistic Miracle of Siena (1730)
The story in one line
consecrated Hosts recovered after a theft in Siena remained incorrupt over a very long period.
The basic story
In 1730, consecrated Hosts stolen from the Basilica of San Francesco in Siena were recovered days later and have been venerated ever since as incorrupt. The Archdiocese of Siena presents their preservation as a permanent Eucharistic miracle.
Historical setting
Siena belongs to the political and religious turmoil of eighteenth-century Italy, where stolen consecrated hosts were later recovered and entered the city's enduring public record.
Date
August 14–17, 1730
The public diocesan history gives a fixed theft date and a recovery three days later.
Claim type
Long-duration preservation of consecrated Hosts
Siena is treated as an incorruption-style Eucharistic miracle rather than a bleeding-host case.
Current custody
Basilica of San Francesco, Siena
The Hosts remain at the basilica in continuing public veneration.
Modern review
2014 ricognizione and non-invasive tests
The archdiocese published a public summary of the most recent examination.
The story
Section titled “The story”Siena is not a bleeding-host story. It is a recovery-and-preservation story. On August 14, 1730, thieves stole a ciborium containing consecrated Hosts from the Basilica of San Francesco in Siena.[1] The Hosts here are the consecrated Communion wafers used at Mass. Three days later they were found in poor conditions, hidden in the alms box of another church amid dust and cobwebs.[1]
According to the Sienese tradition, those same Hosts then remained intact over the centuries beyond what normal deterioration should allow.[1] So the question on this page is simpler than on some other Eucharistic files: not whether the Hosts visibly changed in front of a crowd, but whether wafers recovered in dirty conditions could still remain preserved across generations of custody and later examinations.[1] [5]
Primary-source file
Section titled “Primary-source file”The archdiocese recounts the 1730 theft, recovery, and later preservation narrative in detail.
arcidiocesi.siena.it Official shrine context Basilica of San Francesco pageThis page shows how the basilica still presents the preserved Hosts within a living shrine setting.
arcidiocesi.siena.it Official examination summary Ricognizione Sacre Particole 2014The archdiocese published the modern count, non-invasive tests, and contamination findings from the 2014 examination.
arcidiocesi.siena.itPublicly documented chronology
Section titled “Publicly documented chronology”What is documented
Section titled “What is documented”Unlike cases centered on visible bleeding, Siena is a preservation miracle. The story here is not that the Hosts dramatically changed in public view, but that consecrated Hosts recovered after sacrilege remained incorrupt over an extraordinary period of time.[1]
The archdiocese explicitly presents this as a permanent sign of Christ’s Eucharistic presence.[2]
What the archdiocese emphasizes
Section titled “What the archdiocese emphasizes”The Archdiocese of Siena highlights two things:
- the original sacrilegious theft and recovery in 1730[1]
- later scientific examinations that were presented as confirming the unusual preservation of the Hosts[1]
The diocesan historical page also preserves a few concrete details about the record:
- 351 Hosts were said to have been stolen in the original ciborium[1]
- the recovered Hosts were found in the alms box of Santa Maria in Provenzano amid dust and cobwebs[1]
- a contemporary 1730 memorandum is presented as an early written witness[1]
The cited archdiocesan material presents Siena as a long-standing Italian Eucharistic preservation tradition.[1] [2] In plain terms, the local church is saying: the real surprise is not just that the Hosts were stolen and found again, but that they were still being presented as well-preserved centuries later.
A visual report from the basilica
Section titled “A visual report from the basilica”The video below is a TV2000 report from the Basilica of San Francesco explaining the preserved Hosts and showing the miracle in its contemporary devotional setting.[3]
The shrine today
Section titled “The shrine today”The archdiocesan page dedicated to the basilica stresses that San Francesco still receives a constant flow of pilgrims and curious visitors from many countries, and that the miracle is presented not merely as a relic of the past but as a continuing Eucharistic presence in the life of the church.[4]
The 2014 ricognizione page adds the clearest modern institutional details in the public record:
- the archbishop ordered a new examination with the permission of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith[5]
- the count at that time was 225 Hosts plus fragments[5]
- three samples underwent non-invasive observation and contamination testing[5]
- the published summary said the Hosts remained in a good state of conservation and showed no microbial growth in the tests performed[5]
References
Section titled “References”- Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d’Elsa-Montalcino. “La storia del Miracolo Eucaristico di Siena” / “La storia del Prodigio Eucaristico.” Official diocesan account of the 1730 theft, recovery, and preservation of the Hosts. Available at: https://www.arcidiocesi.siena.it/clean/anno-eucaristico/la-storia-del-prodigio-eucaristico
- Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d’Elsa-Montalcino. “Adorazione Eucaristica davanti alle Sacre Particole.” Official diocesan devotional context emphasizing the continued integrity of the Hosts. Available at: https://www.arcidiocesi.siena.it/adorazione-eucaristica-davanti-alle-sacre-particole/
- TV2000. “Il miracolo eucaristico di Siena.” Catholic television report filmed in the Basilica of San Francesco, showing the present devotional setting of the preserved Hosts. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uoh_FWfaVRE
- Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d’Elsa-Montalcino. “Alla scoperta del luogo che custodisce il Miracolo Eucaristico di Siena: la Basilica di San Francesco.” Official diocesan page on the basilica as a continuing pilgrimage site and shrine of the miracle. Available at: https://www.arcidiocesi.siena.it/clean/anno-eucaristico/san-francesco
- Archdiocese of Siena-Colle di Val d’Elsa-Montalcino. “Ricognizione Sacre Particole 2014.” Official archdiocesan summary of the 2014 recognition and non-invasive examination, including the count of the Hosts and the stated absence of contamination in the tests performed. Available at: https://www.arcidiocesi.siena.it/clean/anno-eucaristico/ricognizione-sacre-particole-2014