Health
Miracles Related to Bites and Poisons
Accounts of bites and poisons feature a danger that enters the body: snake venom, animal bite, poisoned drink, or substance deemed deadly. Sources then recount a preservation or recovery attributed to prayer, the sign of the cross, a blessing, or contact with a relic. This motif sometimes extends biblical images of protection against snakes and deadly drinks, which explains its frequency in the legends of missionaries and martyrs. The category remains precise, however: an animal simply tamed pertains to animal mastery, and rabies is only filed here when no more specific mention allows for the use of the page dedicated to it. Sancteo compares these traditions without identifying species, toxins, or diagnoses when sources do not do so, and without substituting religious narrative for current emergency procedures.
- Accounts
- 65
- Saints
- 60
- Period
- 6th century BC – 20th century
Definition
Understanding this type of miracle
Accounts of bites and poisons feature a danger that enters the body: snake venom, animal bite, poisoned drink, or substance deemed deadly.
Forms included from the sources
- bite, snake, venom, and poisoning
Not to be confused with…
- obedient animal without harm and explicitly named rabies
Documented examples
Major figures
- Saint Eustace (Eustathius) 2nd century · 2 accounts
« Children saved from wild beasts (lion and wolf) »
-
Saint Hilary of Poitiers 4th century · 1 account « Expulsion of snakes from the island of Gallinaria »
-
Saint Honoratus of Arles 5th century · 1 account « Honoratus settles on the desert island of Lérins, which he purifies of snakes »
-
Saint Amand of Maastricht 7th century · 1 account « Expulsion of a giant snake into the sea at the Île de Ré »
Classified sources
Accounts in the corpus
65 results · page 1/2
Healing
Protection against asp bites
Bites and poisons
« Dust from his tomb used as an antidote against asp bites »
Sign / wonder
Destruction of a viper through prayer
Bites and poisons
« Immediate death of a monstrous viper through prayer »
Protection / deliverance
Miraculous survival from poison
Bites and poisons
« Harmlessness of a deadly poison drunk by order of Domitian »
Protection / deliverance
Protection against snakes
Bites and poisons
« Insensitivity to snake venom »
Sign / wonder
Protection against wild beasts
Bites and poisonsViolence
« Leopards refusing to attack him and coming to caress him »
Sign / wonder
Triumph over the dragon of Vaux
ViolenceBites and poisons
« Victory over the dragon of Vaux by the sign of the cross »
Protection / deliverance
Preservation from lions
Bites and poisons
« The lion in the arena refuses to attack the saints »
Protection / deliverance
Protection of children from wild beasts
Bites and poisons
« Children saved from wild beasts (lion and wolf) by shepherds and plowmen »
Protection / deliverance
Miraculous protection against lions
ViolenceBites and poisons
« Sudden death of the lion in the dungeon »
Sign / wonder
Punishment of the persecutors of Saint Secondina
Bites and poisons
« Wolves devouring the murderers of Saint Magnus »
Mastery of the elements
Authority over venomous animals
Bites and poisons
« Power over snakes and scorpions »
Mastery of the elements
Expulsion of snakes from Gallinaria Island
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of the snakes from Gallinaria Island »
Protection / deliverance
Immunity to venomous beasts
Bites and poisonsViolence
« Immunity to snake venom »
Protection / deliverance
Preservation of Saint John the Evangelist from poison
Bites and poisons
« Saint John the Evangelist drinking poison without harm »
Sign / wonder
Preservation of the body after martyrdom
Bites and poisons
« Body preserved from wild beasts after his death »
Protection / deliverance
Protection against viper bites
Bites and poisons
« Immunity to the bite of two vipers during a teaching »
Exorcism
Victories over demonic temptations
Bites and poisonsSight disorders
« Victories over demonic apparitions (lions, snakes, specters) »
Mastery of the elements
Victory over the dragon of Euchaita
Bites and poisons
« Victory over a dragon in the name of God »
Protection / deliverance
Expulsion of snakes from a cave
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of snakes from a cave by the sign of the cross »
Sign / wonder
Expulsion of the snakes from Ireland
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of all snakes from Ireland »
Protection / deliverance
Expulsion of the snakes from Lake Orta
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of snakes from an island by a sign of the cross »
Healing
Healing of a child bitten by a viper
Bites and poisons
« Healing of a child bitten by a viper »
Healing
Healing of a doorkeeper by oil
Bites and poisonsSkin diseases
« Healing of a doorkeeper bitten by a wild beast using oil »
Healing
Healing of a schoolboy bitten by a snake
Bites and poisons
« Healing of a schoolboy bitten by a grass snake »
Protection / deliverance
Neutralization of a snake by the sign of the cross
Bites and poisons
« Neutralization of a dangerous snake by the sign of the cross »
Protection / deliverance
Protection against wolves
Bites and poisons
« Protection against wolves »
Exorcism
Protection of a doe and punishment of a hunter
Bites and poisonsViolenceDemonic deliverances
« Instant demonic possession of a hunter attacking a doe protected by the saint »
Sign / wonder
Purification of the island of Lérins
Bites and poisonsHarvests
« Expulsion of the snakes from the island of Lérins »
Resurrection
Resurrection of a child bitten by a viper
Bites and poisons
« Resurrection of a child who died from a viper bite through prayer before the altar »
Resurrection
Resurrection of a child by Saint Germain
Bites and poisons
« Resurrection of a child suffocated by a snake »
Mastery of the elements
Taming of a serpent by the stole
Bites and poisonsViolence
« Taming a giant serpent with his stole »
Protection / deliverance
Taming of a serpent in a well
SpringsBites and poisons
« Death of a giant serpent in a well through the invocation of the name of God »
Exorcism
Taming of the monstrous serpent
Bites and poisonsViolence
« Taming a monstrous serpent with his stole »
Protection / deliverance
Death of a serpent by the sign of the cross
Bites and poisonsViolence
« Sudden death of a giant serpent after a sign of the cross »
Healing
Healing of a brigand bitten by a snake
Bites and poisons
« Healing of a brigand bitten by a snake »
Healing
Healing of reptile bites
Bites and poisonsSkin diseases
« Healing of bodies swollen from reptile bites »
Healing
Healing of the Duke of Aquitaine's daughter
Bites and poisons
« Healing of the Duke of Aquitaine's daughter bitten by a viper »
Healing
Miraculous healings attributed to Saint Brieuc
Sight disordersRestored mobilityBites and poisons
« Multiple healings (rabies, broken limbs, blindness) »
Protection / deliverance
Preservation from an attempted poisoning
Bites and poisons
« Survival of a poisoning attempt by his grandmother »
Protection / deliverance
Protection against a snake
Bites and poisons
« A snake coils around him without harming him, then dies »
Protection / deliverance
The raven and the poisoned bread
Bites and poisonsFood
« Obedience of a raven carrying away a poisoned loaf of bread »
Protection / deliverance
The serpent struck down by the staff
Bites and poisons
« Death of a monstrous serpent after the planting of a staff »
Sign / wonder
The slaying of the monstrous serpent
Bites and poisons
« Miraculous death of a horrible serpent »
Mastery of the elements
Expulsion of a sea serpent
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of a giant serpent into the sea on the Île de Ré »
Sign / wonder
Sanitization of the island of Maudez
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of a multitude of reptiles from his island »
Mastery of the elements
Expulsion of reptiles from the island of Reichenau
Bites and poisons
« Expulsion of a multitude of snakes and reptiles from the island of Reichenau over three days »
Resurrection
Resurrection of a pilgrim bitten by a snake
Bites and poisons
« Resurrection of a pilgrim killed by a snake »
Sign / wonder
Taming of a wild bear
Bites and poisons
« Wild bear becoming as gentle as a lamb in her church »
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.