For the community of Bolsena, the most heartfelt religious festival is that of Santa Cristina. She was born in Bolsena and she is the patron Saint of the village. During the evening of July 23rd, a simulacrum containing the remains of the Saint is brought in the churchyard of the Basilica.
The celebration of Corpus Domini has a special significance for Bolsena, because it is closely linked to the Eucharistic Miracle happened in 1263. During the Mass, celebrated by the priest Pietro da Praga, who had some doubts regarding his faith, the blessed host began to bleed on his body at the moment of consecration and some drops of blood fell on the marble floor and on the altar steps.
The eels of Pope Martin IV
