The “blood miracle” of the city’s saint Märzenius (Italian Gennaro) has happened again in Naples. During a solemn ceremony Thursday in the cathedral, the martyr’s dried blood, stored in a glass vial, was liquefied. Why an astrophysicist doesn’t consider this a miracle and what this seemingly paranormal event is about.
San Gennaro is a saint of Naples. He was beheaded in 305 AD by the adlates of Emperor Diocletian. It is said that some of the martyr’s blood was collected. Since 1610, since the Middle Ages, it has been liquefied regularly.
The Neapolitans consider the absence of the ‘miracle’ as a bad omen
The “miracle” can be admired on September 19 and on two other dates: the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, the feast of the transfer of the relics to Naples, and December 16, the day commemorating a warning about the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631.
But what is behind it? The ampoules are brought to the altar three times a year; the cathedral of Naples is always full. The cardinal lifts the ampoules, turns them over and shakes them gently, and the faithful pray expectantly.
The previously brownish blood eventually turns ruby red and liquefies – though this can take hours, days or even weeks. Sometimes cannon fire is used to help. When it does happen, however, according to “Kathpress”, a murmur of relief goes through the crowd.
Chemical mixture instead of “miracle”
If the “miracle” doesn’t happen, which has happened rarely in the last 600 years, people fear bad luck. Italian astrophysicist Margherita Hack, head of the National Commission for the Verification of Paranormal Claims, explains the phenomenon as follows: There is a chemical mixture in the ampoules that is also found in blood. This gel, made in the Middle Ages – long after the saint’s death – liquefies when shaken and changes color.
Source: Krone
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