Bilocations Attributed to Saints
Bilocation designates a presence attributed to the same saint in two distinct places during a period that seems to overlap. A witness claims to see the saint far from their known location, a person receives their help from a distance, or a community affirms their presence during a service or event. The Sancteo corpus currently contains only five cases and does not allow for the construction of an extensive typology. Each file must indicate the two locations, the witnesses, and the nature of the reported presence. A posthumous apparition is not automatically a bilocation, since the saint is not described as living elsewhere at the same time. Levitation concerns the elevation of the body, not its distant presence. The page makes this vocabulary accessible and compares the accounts without affirming a historically verifiable simultaneity. Its value comes from the geographical precision of the cases and their rarity.
This motif is sparsely represented in the Sancteo corpus.
- Accounts
- 5
- Saints
- 5
- Period
- 10th century – 16th century
Definition
Understanding this type of miracle
Bilocation designates a presence attributed to the same saint in two distinct places during a period that seems to overlap.
Forms included from the sources
- simultaneous presence or action at a distance by a living saint
Not to be confused with…
- simple posthumous apparition
Documented examples
Major figures
- Saint Germain of Montfort 10th century · 1 account
« Bilocation or miraculous transport to attend the divine office »
-
Blessed Clare of Rimini 13th century · 1 account « Disappearance from a locked cell »
- Blessed Gentilis of Matelica 14th century · 1 account
« performs a miracle of bilocation to attend his father's funeral »
- Saint Catherine de' Ricci 16th century · 1 account
« she is also known for her gift of bilocation with Saint Philip Neri. »
Classified sources
Accounts in the corpus
5 results
Editorial transparency
Method and sources
Sancteo presents these accounts as hagiographic and historical traditions, without ruling on their origin or making medical or spiritual promises.
Volumes are calculated from technically validated classifications in the canonical database. Each figure above has a quotation directly linked to this theme. Last recalculated: .
Editorial responsibility: Sancteo · Corpus source: Les Petits Bollandistes and documented enrichments. Version: miracle-topic-editorial-en-v1.