Matter and nature
Miraculous Sources and Waters in Hagiography
Miraculous sources and fountains count among the most visible traces left by local traditions. A saint strikes the ground, prays in an arid place, traverses a region, or undergoes martyrdom; the source that appears then becomes a water point, place of memory, or pilgrimage destination. Other accounts concern a river that opens, retreats, or changes course. The page must distinguish the birth of water from its later uses: a healing obtained with water may also pertain to a health theme, but the main motif here remains the aquatic element. Drownings and storms possess their own categories, centered on danger. Sancteo links accounts to locations when data allow, while signaling if the location comes from an explicit mention or an inference. The whole informs as much about sacralized landscapes as about the recounted miracles.
- Accounts
- 243
- Saints
- 214
- Period
- 9th century BC – 20th century
Definition
Understanding this type of miracle
Miraculous sources and fountains count among the most visible traces left by local traditions.
Forms included from the sources
- source, fountain, river, and non-maritime water
Not to be confused with…
- drowning and storm as main motif
Documented examples
Major figures
- Saint Alban of Verulam 4th century · 3 accounts
« Alban dries up a river to let the crowd pass and makes a spring gush forth at the top of Holmhurst mountain. »
- Saint Baudilus 3rd century · 2 accounts
« making three springs gush forth »
- Saint Marcellinus of Embrun 4th century · 2 accounts
« On the way to consecrate a church in Seynes, Marcellinus allows the crowd to cross the flooded Ubaye river on dry land through prayer. »
-
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste 4th century · 3 accounts « Heavenly brightness melting the ice and heating the water at the third hour of the night »
Classified sources
Accounts in the corpus
243 results · page 1/6
Mastery of the elements
The miraculous crossing of the Jordan
Springs
« Parting of the waters of the Jordan with his mantle »
Mastery of the elements
Appearance of a miraculous spring
SpringsHarvests
« Miraculous spring gushing from his tomb in 633 to end a drought »
Mastery of the elements
Cessation of a drought during the translation of relics
Springs
« Cessation of a long drought during the translation »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing forth of a spring by Saint Peter
Springs
« Gushing of a fountain of living water on the Tarpeian Rock through the sign of the cross made by Saint Peter »
Sign / wonder
Gushing forth of a spring in the Mamertine Prison
SpringsCaptivity
« Spring gushing forth in the Mamertine Prison »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of a spring in Crimea
Springs
« Gushing of a fresh water spring after the appearance of a lamb »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of springs at the Tre Fontane Abbey
Springs
« Gushing of three springs (Tre Fontane) at the site of his beheading »
Sign / wonder
Institution of holy water
Springs
« Institution of holy water »
Mastery of the elements
Miraculous crossing of the Garonne
Springs
« Crossing the Garonne River without a boat in Bordeaux »
Sign / wonder
Miraculous spring at the tomb of Saint Martial
Springs
« Miraculous spring gushing from his tomb »
Sign / wonder
Miraculous spring of Soulac
Springs
« Miraculous spring in Soulac »
Mastery of the elements
Spring gushing forth from a staff
Springs
« Causes a spring of water to gush forth by striking the ground with his staff to quench his companions' thirst »
Mastery of the elements
Taming of the Tarasque
SpringsViolence
« Taming of the Tarasque with holy water and her belt »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a miraculous fountain
Springs
« Gushing of a miraculous fountain near Compiègne »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a spring at Noble-Val
Springs
« Spring gushing from the ground after a strike of a staff to quench the people's thirst »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a spring in Le Mans
Springs
« Spring gushing forth after striking the ground with his staff »
Sign / wonder
Miracles at the tomb of Saint Symphorien
Springs
« Numerous miracles occurring at his tomb near a fountain »
Sign / wonder
Miraculous rain of 1478
Springs
« Miraculous rain in 1478 »
Mastery of the elements
The miracle of the rain of the Thundering Legion
Springs
« Mention of the miracle of the Thundering Legion (rain obtained through the prayers of Christian soldiers) »
Mastery of the elements
Control of the Lycus River floods
Springs
« Stopping the flooding of the Lycus River with his staff »
Mastery of the elements
Draining of a lake by Saint Gregory
Springs
« Drying up of a lake to end a dispute »
Sign / wonder
Gushing forth of a spring at the place of martyrdom
Springs
« Spring gushing forth at the site of the martyrdom »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of a miraculous spring
Springs
« Spring gushing forth in the tower for her baptism »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of a miraculous spring
Springs
« Spring gushing forth on the road to Gaul »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of a spring at Arcy
Springs
« Spring gushing forth on the path of the relics at Arcy »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of a spring in prison
SpringsCaptivity
« Miraculous spring gushed forth in prison (Saint-Laurent in fonte) »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a water spring
Springs
« Gushing forth of a spring of living water by striking a stone with the sign of the cross »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of Saint Julie's spring
Springs
« Miraculous spring (Saint Julie's Well) that gushed forth at the site of the martyrdom »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of the Three Fountains
SpringsViolence
« Gushing of three springs (Trois-Fontaines) where his head bounced »
Healing
Healings at the springs of Saint-Baudile
Springs
« Miraculous healings at the Saint-Baudile spring »
Mastery of the elements
Miraculous crossing of the Seine
ViolenceSprings
« Miraculous crossing of the Seine »
Mastery of the elements
Miraculous displacement of a boat
Springs
« Boat moving on its own against the current with their bodies »
Mastery of the elements
Miraculous extinguishing of the pyre
FireViolenceSprings
« Sudden rain extinguishing the pyre »
Vision / apparition
Miraculous protection of Saint Faith during her martyrdom
FireSprings
« Apparition of a dove placing a crown and extinguishing the pyre with a light rain »
Mastery of the elements
Miraculous spring of Saint Caprasius
Springs
« Healings at the spring that gushed forth under the hand of Saint Caprasius »
Healing
Sanctification of a fountain in Pleumelée
Restored mobilitySprings
« Sanctification of a stone and a fountain in Pleumelée to heal infirm children »
Sign / wonder
Spring gushing forth after martyrdom
Springs
« Gushing of a spring of pure water under his feet after his martyrdom »
Mastery of the elements
Walking on the waters of the Seine
Springs
« Walking on the waters of the flooded Seine »
Mastery of the elements
Celestial light over the frozen pond
Springs
« Celestial light melting the ice and warming the water at the third hour of the night »
Mastery of the elements
Drying up of a river
Springs
« Drying up of a riverbed to allow the crowd to pass »
Mastery of the elements
Drying up of a river
SpringsDrownings
« Resurrection of people drowned in the river »
Sign / wonder
Gushing of a fountain during the martyrdom of Saint Natalena
SpringsCephalophores
« Miraculous gushing of the Saint-Natalène fountain »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a miraculous spring
Springs
« Water gushing from a rock to baptize 1500 people »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a spring at Holmhurst
Springs
« Spring gushing forth at the summit of Holmhurst Hill »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a spring at the hermitage
Springs
« Springing forth of a fountain at his hermitage »
Mastery of the elements
Gushing of a spring in arid land
Springs
« Spring of water gushing forth in a dry place »
Healing
Healing of children at the fountain of Saint Yolaine
Springs
« Healing power of the fountain for weak children »
Healing
Healing of children at the fountain of Saint Yolaine
Springs
« Striking miracles at her tomb »
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.