On April 25, 1467, the feast of St. Mark, at vespers, something truly extraordinary happened in the church that the Augustinian fathers were building with the precious help of Blessed Petrucia of Genazzano, and it has to do with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Three documents from that period refer to that extraordinary event.
1. The account of the then Augustinian provincial father of the province of Rome, Fr. Antonio de Cori: "An image of the Blessed Virgin miraculously appeared on the wall of the church (...) all of Italy was moved to visit that sacred image, cities and towns in procession; many miracles were performed, multiple offerings and graces were received. Thus, while Blessed Petrucia was alive, not only was the construction of the church completed, but a beautiful convent was also built. When she died, she was buried in the chapel of the Virgin. The exact date is not recorded, but it is stated that Blessed Petrucia was buried in the chapel of the Virgin during her term as provincial, which she held from 1466 to 1468 and then from 1470 to 1476.

2. The inscription on the tympanum of the tribune:
DIVINITUS APPARUIT HEC IMAGO A D M
CCCCLXVII XXV APRILIS
This image appeared divinely on April 25 in the year of our Lord 1467.
3. The inscription on the tympanum of the façade portal:

MCCCCLXVII SUB ANNIS I(NCARNATIS) D(E)I
V(ERB)I FES TO MARCI HORA VESPERI DEI GE
NUTRICIS MARIAE QUAM I(N) HUI(US) PHA(N)I
SACELLO MARMOREO VENERAMI
NI EX ALTO FIGURA PROSPEXIT

In the year 1467 of the Incarnation of the Son of God, on the eve of the feast of St. Mark, the image of the Mother of God venerated in the marble tribune looked down from heaven.

In the heart of Abruzzo, nestled among hills that seem to keep silent, lies Lanciano, a small medieval village that witnessed the first and oldest Eucharistic miracle recognized by the Church.

In the 8th century, during the celebration of Holy Mass, a Basilian monk doubted the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. At the moment of consecration, the host turned into living flesh and the wine into blood.
Even today, the relics preserved in the church of San Francesco can be seen intact: fragments of flesh and five blood clots, scientifically studied and recognized as human heart tissue.

Visiting Lanciano is an experience of profound interiority, an invitation to renew one's trust in the mystery of divine love.
The ancient streets, the sound of bells, and the silence of the temple lead the soul to a single certainty: God reveals himself in small things, when the heart is open to belief.

In a small sanctuary hidden among the mountains of Abruzzo, one of Christianity's most moving mysteries is kept: the Holy Face of Manoppello, a transparent veil bearing the image of the risen Christ.

According to tradition, this cloth is the “veil of Veronica” or even the “shroud of the tomb,” miraculously marked with the living image of Jesus at the moment of the Resurrection.
The most amazing thing is that the face is not painted: the fabric, made of a material called marine byssus (sea thread), allows light to pass through, revealing an image visible from both sides, as if suspended between heaven and earth.

Upon entering the Sanctuary of the Holy Face, the silence invites contemplation of more than a relic: a personal encounter.
The eyes of Christ seem to look at the pilgrim with tenderness and serenity, reminding us that faith is not imposed, it is revealed.

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