The claims
Each entry pairs a reported miracle with the documentary record and an honest, confidence-labeled estimate of how likely it is that no natural explanation accounts for it.
Each entry pairs a reported miracle with the documentary record and an honest, confidence-labeled estimate of how likely it is that no natural explanation accounts for it.
13 claims
Four years after burying their 95-year-old foundress unembalmed in a simple wooden coffin, the Benedictines of Mary exhumed Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster in April 2023 and found her body and habit largely intact; the diocese's commissioned pathology team called the condition 'highly atypical' for the interval and conditions, forensic anthropologists answered that natural mummification in coffin burials is well documented, and the Church itself has declared no miracle and opened no cause.
Four years after burying their 95-year-old foundress unembalmed in a simple wooden coffin, the Benedictines of Mary exhumed Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster in April 2023 and found her body and habit largely intact; the diocese's commissioned pathology team called the condition 'highly atypical' for the interval and conditions, forensic anthropologists answered that natural mummification in coffin burials is well documented, and the Church itself has declared no miracle and opened no cause.
Angela of Foligno, the 13th-century Franciscan tertiary and mystic, died in 1309; her body is kept in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Foligno, with incorruptibility claimed but no modern forensic verification available.
Angela of Foligno, the 13th-century Franciscan tertiary and mystic, died in 1309; her body is kept in the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Foligno, with incorruptibility claimed but no modern forensic verification available.
Three hundred fifty-one consecrated hosts stolen in 1730 and recovered three days later have reportedly remained intact for nearly 300 years, surviving conditions that should have caused rapid organic decay.
Three hundred fifty-one consecrated hosts stolen in 1730 and recovered three days later have reportedly remained intact for nearly 300 years, surviving conditions that should have caused rapid organic decay.
Margaret of Cortona, a 13th-century penitent, died in 1297; her body has been displayed in the Basilica of Santa Margherita in Cortona for over 700 years and is described as incorrupt, though no modern independent forensic examination has been published.
Margaret of Cortona, a 13th-century penitent, died in 1297; her body has been displayed in the Basilica of Santa Margherita in Cortona for over 700 years and is described as incorrupt, though no modern independent forensic examination has been published.
In 1531, a Marian image allegedly appeared miraculously on the cloak of indigenous convert Juan Diego in Mexico City, producing an artifact still venerated nearly 500 years later.
In 1531, a Marian image allegedly appeared miraculously on the cloak of indigenous convert Juan Diego in Mexico City, producing an artifact still venerated nearly 500 years later.
Padre Pio's body was exhumed in 2008, found in good condition, but chemical analysis revealed it had been treated with high-concentration formalin, creosote, benzoic acid, and turpentine — deliberate embalming, not miraculous preservation.
Padre Pio's body was exhumed in 2008, found in good condition, but chemical analysis revealed it had been treated with high-concentration formalin, creosote, benzoic acid, and turpentine — deliberate embalming, not miraculous preservation.
When John XXIII was exhumed in 2001 after 37 years, his face appeared intact and serene; the Vatican explicitly attributed this to embalming with formalin, hermetic sealing in multiple coffins, and Prof. Golia's proprietary preservation treatment — not to miracle.
When John XXIII was exhumed in 2001 after 37 years, his face appeared intact and serene; the Vatican explicitly attributed this to embalming with formalin, hermetic sealing in multiple coffins, and Prof. Golia's proprietary preservation treatment — not to miracle.
Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes, died in 1457; her body has been on display for nearly 600 years, with documented medical examinations in 1743 and 1892 noting repairs to the face using wax and string — indicating partial deterioration.
Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes, died in 1457; her body has been on display for nearly 600 years, with documented medical examinations in 1743 and 1892 noting repairs to the face using wax and string — indicating partial deterioration.
The body of Francis Xavier was declared incorrupt when returned to Goa in 1554, two years after his death, and remains on public display at the Basilica of Bom Jesus -- though the body has visibly deteriorated and lost limbs over centuries.
The body of Francis Xavier was declared incorrupt when returned to Goa in 1554, two years after his death, and remains on public display at the Basilica of Bom Jesus -- though the body has visibly deteriorated and lost limbs over centuries.
The 16th-century Russian monastic founder's relics, seized by Soviet authorities in 1918, survived a Bolshevik examination that expected to expose fraud, and were returned to his monastery in 1998 after rediscovery in a Leningrad anatomical museum.
The 16th-century Russian monastic founder's relics, seized by Soviet authorities in 1918, survived a Bolshevik examination that expected to expose fraud, and were returned to his monastery in 1998 after rediscovery in a Leningrad anatomical museum.
Archbishop John Maximovitch (1896-1966), canonized in 1994, was found with largely incorrupt remains at a 1993 exhumation in San Francisco — his face, hands, and beard visibly preserved 27 years after death.
Archbishop John Maximovitch (1896-1966), canonized in 1994, was found with largely incorrupt remains at a 1993 exhumation in San Francisco — his face, hands, and beard visibly preserved 27 years after death.
The body of the Lourdes visionary, displayed at Nevers, is often called incorrupt — but a wax mask covers the face, and natural preservation can account for the rest.
The body of the Lourdes visionary, displayed at Nevers, is often called incorrupt — but a wax mask covers the face, and natural preservation can account for the rest.
The icon central to Pontic Greek Orthodox identity, attributed by tradition to St. Luke the Evangelist, was secretly buried by monks in 1923 at the time of the Lausanne population exchange and successfully recovered and transferred to Greece in 1931.
The icon central to Pontic Greek Orthodox identity, attributed by tradition to St. Luke the Evangelist, was secretly buried by monks in 1923 at the time of the Lausanne population exchange and successfully recovered and transferred to Greece in 1931.