LUDBREGCROATIA, 1411

Eucharistic Miracle of

During Mass at Ludbreg in1411, a priest doubtedwhether the Body and Bloodof Christ were really presentin the Eucharistic species.Immediately after beingconsecrated, the wine turnedinto Blood. Today theprecious relic of themiraculous Blood still drawsthousands of the faithful,and every year at thebeginning of September theso-called “Sveta Nedilja -Holy Sunday” is celebratedfor an entire week in honorof the Eucharistic miracle thatoccurred in 1411.

n 1411 at Ludbreg, in the chapel of theCount Batthyany’s castle, a priest was cele-brating Mass. During the consecration of

the wine, the priest doubted the truth of trans-ubstantiation and so the wine in the chalice tur-ned into Blood. Not knowing what to do, thepriest embedded this relic in the wall behind themain altar. The workman who did the job wassworn to silence. The priest also kept it secret andrevealed it only at the time of his death. After thepriest’s revelation, news quickly spread andpeople started coming on pilgrimage to Ludbreg.The Holy See later had the relic of the miraclebrought to Rome, where it remained for severalyears. The people of Ludbreg and the surroundingarea, however, continued to make pilgrimages tothe castle chapel. In the early 1500s, during thepontificate of Pope Julius II, a commission was

convened in Ludbreg to investigate the factsconnected with the Eucharistic miracle. Manypeople testified that they had received marve-lous cures while praying in the relic’s presence.On April 14, 1513, Pope Leo X published aBull permitting veneration of the holy relicwhich he himself had carried in procession several times through the streets of Rome. Therelic was later returned to Croatia.

In the 18th century, northern Croatiawas ravaged by the plague. The people turnedto God to call upon his help, and the CroatianParliament did the same. During the sessionheld on December 15, 1739 in the city ofVarazdin, they vowed to build a chapel atLudbreg in honor of the miracle, if the plagueended. The plague was averted, but the promised

vow was only fulfilled in 1994, when democracywas restored in Croatia. In 2005 in the votivechapel, the artist Marijan Jakubin painted a largefresco of the Last Supper in which Croatian saintsand blesseds were drawn in place of the Apostles.St. John was replaced with Blessed Ivan Merz,who was included among the 18 most importantEucharistic saints in the Church’s history duringthe Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist held inRome in 2005. In the painting, Christ is holdingin his hand a monstrance containing the relic ofthe Eucharistic miracle.

© 2006, Istituto San Clemente I Papa e Martire / The Real Presence Association, Inc.

Since 1721, the relic of the Precious Blood has been kept in a preciousmonstrance of the Augsburg goldsmiths’ school commissioned byCountess Eleonora Batthyany-Strattman, who gave it as a gift to thechurch in Ludbreg

Fresco depicting the scene of the miracle

In 1753, the Batthyany family had Mihael Peck decorate the castlechapel where the miracle took place with frescoes depictingthe stages of the miracle

The chapel of the Batthyanyfamily castle where the miracle occurred

Interior of the chapel of theBatthyany family castle

Fresco depicting the procession held in Rome in 1513, in whichPope Leo X is carrying the precious relic through the city streets

I

LUDBREGCROATIA, 1411

Eucharistic Miracle of

The relic ofthe Blood hasremained perfectlyintact and iskept in a preciousmonstrance madeat the requestof CountessEleonoraBatthyany-Strattmanin 1721.

© 2006, Istituto San Clemente I Papa e Martire / The Real Presence Association, Inc.

Marijan Jakubin, The Last Supper, Shrine of the Miracleof the Precious Blood, Ludbreg

Shrine of the Miracle of the Precious Blood, Ludbreg

Interior of the shrine

Procession held every year in September, during the week whenthe miracle called Sveta Nedilja is celebrated