The Eucharistic miracle along the Camino de Santiago.
The whole of the Christian life can be likened to a pilgrimage, and our food for the journey is the nourishment we receive in Holy Communion.
As I prepare to lead pilgrims in a few weeks along a portion of the “Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James,” I discovered in my research the story of a Eucharist miracle that took place along this famed pilgrimage route. The connection between the Eucharist and pilgrimage is worth pondering on this feast of Corpus Christi. The whole of the Christian life itself, can be likened to a pilgrimage, and our food for the journey is the nourishment we receive in Holy Communion.
Looking to the Old Testament, we can see how the wandering of the Israelites through the wilderness on their way to the promised land, is symbolic of man’s earthly pilgrimage toward Heaven.
Just as the Israelites crossed the waters of the Red Sea to be freed from slavery, by the waters of baptism we are freed from the dominion of demons and reborn as adopted children of God. After our liberation at baptism, like the Israelites, we still have a long journey to reach our destination which is the eternal promised land of Heaven. The Israelites grew weary with hunger along the way and God strengthened them with the nourishment of manna from Heaven. We too can grow weary on our earthly pilgrimage and throughout our lives can often succumb to sin and discouragement. God continues to nourish His adopted children, however, by feeding us with Bread from Heaven—His body and blood in the Sacrament of Communion. This is the “spiritual food” that strengthens us on our journey.
The miracle that took place along the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compestela was a mercy God bestowed upon a struggling priest filled with doubt. It occurred seven centuries ago, high in the mountains of Galicia in the remote hamlet of O Cebreiro. When the Camino became a phenomenon after the discovery of the relics of St. James in 813, O Cebreiro became a much-needed stop for shelter in the tempestuous mountain area. Pilgrims taking the most popular route along the “Camino Frances, French Way,” will have journeyed for about a month by the time they arrive at this village. Their arrival marks the beginning of the final downhill stretch toward the tomb of the apostle.
A pilgrim’s hospice was established in O Cebreiro by the middle of the ninth century. In 1072, King Alfonso VI of León and Castile, elevated the hospice to the rank of a hospital and entrusted it to the care of the Benedictine monks of St. Geraud d’Aurillac in France. The church at the little monastery was known at the time as the Church of St. Benedict.
The most famous account of the miracle that occurred there comes from the General Chronicle of the Order of St. Benedict penned by the Spanish monk, Antonio de Yepes, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
As the story goes, sometime around the year 1300, there was a monk at the little Benedictine monastery of O Cebreiro who lost his faith. The fulfillment of his duties, even the offering of Holy Mass, had long been rote and without devotion. When this struggling priest was tasked with offering Mass one miserable winter morning, he thought no one would dare show up through the snow and freezing wind. Much to his surprise, and even consternation, he saw a man in prayer waiting for Mass to begin as he arrived at the church. The man was a farmer named Juan Santín, who made his way from the nearby hamlet of Barxamaior. He must have been uncomfortable in his wet clothes as he knelt in prayer in the cold stone church. His spirits certainly weren’t lifted when he received a harsh scolding for being foolish enough to travel so far in a snowstorm for only, what the frustrated priest called, “a bit of bread and wine.”
The humble farmer must have been shocked and scandalized by having his faith belittled in this way. And by a priest of all people! He offered no response, however, and persevered in his intention by staying for the Mass. The priest, with all his doubts, was game enough at least, to begrudgingly take to the altar to begin celebrating Mass. He did so in the hurried and careless manner that had become usual for him.
When he came to the moment of consecration, a miracle took place that would cure his disbelief and reward the faith of the humble farmer.
Eucharistic miracles have been reported in different times and places throughout history. These occurrences can be considered a mercy of God to strengthen the faith of His people.
As the disbelieving priest pronounced the words of consecration, he was amazed to see the host in his hands physically change into a piece of flesh with droplets of blood falling upon the altar linens below. The wine in the chalice too, was visibly changed into blood. The farmer shared the priest’s wonder and awe at the sight.
The priest and farmer told all who had an ear to hear about the remarkable occurrence. The locals were convinced not only because of the relics of the miracle they were able to see with their own eyes, the flesh on the paten and the blood in the chalice but also because they noticed something different about the statue of the Mother of God that adorned the village church. Unlike before, the Holy Virgin now appeared slightly inclined towards the altar. The explanation they reasoned, was so she might have a better view of the miracle.
Word quickly spread throughout Europe as pilgrims passing through O Cebreiro learned of the miracle and shared news of it upon their return home. The village became a much-anticipated stop along the Camino for the many eager to behold with their own eyes the “vestigium miracoli, traces of the miracle.”
A legend even developed that the chalice of the miracle was actually the same Holy Grail used by Christ at the Last Supper. This is likely due to linguistic confusion around the name St. Geraud—the spiritual father of the community of monks at O Cebreiro. In the Galician language of the time, he would have been called Sant Gral, which would sound very familiar to “Holy Grail.” It is also believed by some that German pilgrims spreading word of the miracle of O Cebreiro upon their return home, inspired German iterations of the Arthurian legend about the character Percival’s quest for the Holy Grail, such as Wagner’s 1882 opera Parsifal.
So revered was the miracle throughout Galicia that it is believed it also inspired the image of the host and chalice on the region’s coat of arms.
A second miracle is said to have occurred when Queen Isabella, like so many others before her, came to the village in 1486 as a pilgrim on her way to venerate the tomb of St. James. She was deeply moved by the story and wished to give greater honor to the precious relics of the miracle by moving them to a more accessible location than the little monastery high up in the mountains. When the royal entourage tried to depart the village, however, the horses refused to budge. Seeing this as a sign from God, they returned the relics to the monastery. The paten and chalice were displayed beside a silver reliquary donated by the queen that encased the piece of flesh and bloodied altar linens. In addition to this, the royals orchestrated the transfer of the monastery to the care of the Benedictines of Valladolid, in Castile, so it could be under their royal protection. For this reason and along with the veneration given to the image of the inclined Holy Virgin, the church came to be known as “Santa María la Real, Royal St. Mary’s.”
A year later in 1487, the truth of the miracle was certified by a papal bull of Innocent VIII.
