Eucharistic Miracle Faverney, France 1608

In the 17th century, Protestantism and Calvinism spread quickly in France by means of the many material benefits conceded by the new religions to the members of the nobility and the clergy coming from the Catholic Church. This placed at risk the faith of many and created many uncertainties, even in the monasteries. In the city of Faverney there was a Benedictine Abbey whose monks had departed a great deal from the rule of their founder.  They held only the highest esteem for the devotion to the Lady of Notre-Dame la Blanche, known in all the area for its many miracles. Through her intercession many miracles had in fact been verified, among which was even the returning to life of two infants who were not yet baptized. In 1608, on the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost, the monks decided to prepare an altar for the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The lunette of the monstrance was very large, and because of this, they decided to put in two Hosts. When Vespers had finished the monks left the monstrance exposed on the provisional altar. 

On the next morning, the sacristan opened the church and found it full of smoke, with the provisional altar completely reduced to ashes.  He started to yell, and immediately the religious and other people hastened and proceeded to remove the ashes with the hope of finding some part of the monstrance. When the smoke began to clear, they were astonished on seeing that the monstrance was suspended in the air. The multitude increased and crowded to see the Eucharistic marvel, in which the Hosts had remained unharmed regardless of the fire.  The religious were astonished and unable to make a decision. They asked the counsel of the Capuchin friars of Vesoul. The friars immediately prepared a new altar over the burned one and celebrated Holy Mass. During the elevation of the Host, the monstrance slowly descended upon the new altar.

When the canonical process finished, on July 10, the Archbishop of Besançon declared that the miracle was authentic, and on September 13, the Archbishop of Rodi, who was the nuncio in Brussels, made it known to Pope Paul V who granted a Bull of Indulgence. The miracle rekindled the faith of many. In 1862, the Congregation of Rites authorized the celebration of the miracle. In 1908 the third centenary of the miracle was solemnly commemorated with a National Eucharistic Congress. Even today it is possible to see and venerate the relic containing one of the two Hosts which remained unharmed. The other Host, unfortunately, after it was donated to the Church of Dole, was destroyed by the revolutionaries in 1794.