On the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost, the monks of Faverney decided to expose the Blessed Sacrament for public adoration. During the night, a fire flared up which destroyed the altar and the sacred furnishings, but not the monstrance containing the Sacred Host.
The monstrance was retrieved after a few days while it was suspended in the air perfectly intact. The miraculous Host is still kept today and many are the pilgrims who every year hasten to venerate the miracle.
In the 17th century, Protestantism and Calvinism spread quickly in France by means of the many material benefits concealed by new religions to the members of the nobility and the clergy coming from the Catholic Church. This placed at risk the faith of many and created many uncertainties, even in the monasteries.
In the city of Faverney there was a Benedictine Abbey whose monks had acquired a great deal from their of their founder. They had only in high esteem the devotion to the Lady of Notre-Dame la Blanche, known in all the area for its many miracles.
Through her intercession many miracles had in fact been verified, among which was even the returning to life of two infants who were not yet baptized. In 1608, on the Vigil of the Feast of Pentecost, the monks decided to prepare an altar for the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The lunette of the monstrance was very
large, and because of this, they decided to put in two Hosts. When Vespers had finished the monks left the monstrance exposed on the provisional altar.
On the next morning, the sacristan opened the church and found it full of smoke, with the provisional altar completely reduced to ashes. Hearted no will, and immediately thereupon, as other people hastened and proceeded to remove the ashes with the hope of finding some part of the monstrance.
When the smoke began to clear, they were astonished seeing that the monstrance was suspended in the air. The multitude increased and crowded to see the Eucharistic marvel, in which the Hosts had remained unharmed regardless of thefts.
The religious were astonished, and unable to make a decision, asked the counsel of the Capuchin friars of Vesoul. These immediately prepared a new
altar over the burned one, and celebrated Holy Mass. During the elevation of the Host, the monstrance slowly descended upon the new altar.
When the canonical process finished, on July 10, the Archbishop of Besançon declared that the Miracle was authentic, and on November 13, the Archbishop of Redi - who was the nuncio in Brussels – made it known to Pope Paul V who granted a Bull of Indulgence to the miracle extended the faith of many.
In 1862, the Congregation of Rites authorized the celebration of the Miracle. In 1908 the third centenary of the miracle was solemnly commemorated with a National Eucharistic Congress. Even today it is possible to see venerate the relic containing one of the two Hosts which remained unharmed.
The other Host, unfortunately, after it was donated to the Church of Dole, was destroyed by the revolutionaries in 1794.