In 1627, Cardinal Richelieu, stood at the front lines of war.
A Protestant stronghold defied crown and altar.
The Church was in peril.
He wasn’t carrying a sword, but he did build a seawall across the sea.
The Siege of La Rochelle - a 🧵✝️
La Rochelle wasn’t just any city.
It was France’s most powerful Protestant stronghold, wealthy, defiant, and allied with England.
Richelieu saw it as a threat to both monarchy and Church.
To save the kingdom from fracture, he believed one faith, one king was essential.
So he acted.
Richelieu launched a massive siege.
But the Huguenots had the sea, and England’s navy, to supply them.
So the Cardinal did the unthinkable:
He engineered a seawall across the harbor.
1,500 meters long. Built with rubble, sunken ships, and cannon emplacements.
If the tale of Saint Christopher doesn't make you want to hit the gym I don't know what will.
He was a warrior who served kings, then the devil himself.
But when he met Christ, everything changed.
This is the story of Saint Christopher, the Christ-bearer - 🧵✝️
They say his name was Reprobus.
He was said to be a Canaanite, a giant in both stature and strength.
So powerful, he vowed to serve only the greatest king on earth. But that quest would take him to the edge of hell, and back.
First, he served a mighty human king.
But when that king trembled at the mention of the devil, Reprobus left him. “I will serve the devil,” he said, “for he must be mightier.” And so he did.
That miracles no longer happen
That the Eucharist is just a symbol
But what if the Sacred Host turned into flesh?
What if it bled, and science could not explain it?
It did, multiple times, these are the Eucharistic Miracles - a 🧵✝️
1. Lanciano, Italy (8th Century)
In the city of Lanciano, Italy, around the 8th century, a Basilian monk reportedly doubted the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
During Mass, upon pronouncing the words of consecration, he witnessed the bread and wine transform into human flesh and blood.
This event is considered the oldest recorded Eucharistic miracle
In 1970, Professor Odoardo Linoli, a specialist in anatomy and pathological histology, conducted a scientific examination of the relics. His findings included:
The flesh is human cardiac tissue, specifically from the myocardium (heart muscle).
The blood is human and of type AB.
Both the flesh and blood showed no signs of preservatives.
These results were corroborated by Professor Ruggero Bertelli of the University of Siena.
The Catholic Church recognizes the Miracle of Lanciano as authentic. The relics are preserved in the Church of San Francesco in Lanciano, where they continue to be venerated.