Deepertruth: Eucharistic Miracle of Wilsnack Germany 1383

During a terrible fire that exploded in the village of Wilsnack in 1383, among the ruins of the parish church were found three completely intact Hosts, which bled continuously. Pilgrims began to go there in great numbers, and for that reason a church was built there in honor of the miracle. Its veneration was approved by two bulls of Pope Eugene IV in 1447. In August 1383, the village of Wilsnack was sacked, robbed and set afire by Count Heinrich von Bulow. Among the ruins of the parish church were found three perfectly intact Hosts, from which Blood flowed. After recovering the Bleeding Hosts, numerous miracles began to be verified. For example, Count Dietrich von Wenckstern, who nurtured many doubts regarding the Bleeding of the Hosts, lost his vision, which was restored only when he repented of having doubted the authenticity of the miracle. This news spread rapidly, and already in 1384 the Bishop of Havelburg had confirmed the miracle of the “Bleeding” Hosts of Wilsnack. Pope Urban VI contributed an endowment for reconstruction of the church, to which was added offerings by the Archbishop of Magdeburg, and of the Bishops of Brandenburg, Havelberg, and Levus. Until the 1500s, Wilsnack became one of the most important places of pilgrimage in Europe. Thanks to numerous offerings left by pilgrims who came to venerate the miraculous Hosts, it was possible to finance the construction of the enormous Church of St. Nikolai, dedicated to the miracle. Even today the church offers one of the most important examples of the Gothic style in fired brick typical of northern Germany. The monstrance containing the relics of the three Hosts was destroyed in the fire of 1522. However, numerous written testimonials about the miracle and works of art depicting it survive.