Accounts of Liquefied Blood in Relics
Accounts of liquefied blood concern a relic kept after the death of a martyr or saint. On a date, during a feast, or in certain circumstances, the blood is said to pass from a solid state to a liquid state, flow, or manifest a visible change. The Sancteo corpus contains only a few examples, of which the Neapolitan tradition of Saint Januarius is the best known. This category should not include the hemorrhages of a living person: the subject here is the relic and its posthumous cult. It is also distinguished from general accounts of incorruptibility, even if both may be present in the same history of relics. The page describes with accuracy what each source reports, the date, and the status of the tradition when available. It formulates no physical, chemical, or scientific conclusion on the preserved substances.
This motif is sparsely represented in the Sancteo corpus.
- Accounts
- 10
- Saints
- 9
- Period
- 3rd century – 19th century
Definition
Understanding this type of miracle
Accounts of liquefied blood concern a relic kept after the death of a martyr or saint.
Forms included from the sources
- relic blood changing state
Not to be confused with…
- blood loss of a living person
Documented examples
Major figures
- Saint Januarius of Naples 4th century · 1 account
« Periodic liquefaction and boiling of his dried blood »
- Saint Lawrence (Archdeacon of Rome) 3rd century · 1 account
« Annual liquefaction of his blood at Ferentino »
- Saint Euphemia of Chalcedon 4th century · 1 account
« Distillation of miraculous drops of blood from his tomb »
- Saint Peter of Arbues 15th century · 1 account
« During his burial, the martyr's dried blood becomes liquid and abundant again »
Classified sources
Accounts in the corpus
10 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.