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.
