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![Are you still suffering from the heat? Is it enough to make a complaint to the pope?
That's one way to look at an incident that occurred in Rome in June 1606. A newsletter (avviso reports that "The city of Orvieto has sent some representatives to point out an insult they received from their bishop, Cardinal Sanesio, to Our Lord [Pope Paul V] and the Sacred College of Cardinals. They say that on the morning of Corpus Domini, they did the procession of the Most Holy Sacrament at a time of morning that was good for avoiding the heat of the son, but with few people, whereas other times they usually do it later in the evening but most solemnly" and with a large procession including "the Holy Corporal, which is a very celebrated relic in that city."
The relic, the Holy Corporal of Bolsena, is marked with blood that miraculously began to bleed from communion bread during a mass in Bohemia in 1263, and is the basis for the feast of Corpus Christi throughout the world every June. The relic was moved to Orvieto, however, and remains a central part of devotions there. For the city's residents, to have the procession eschewed in favour of an earlier celebration would have been a huge affront—but at least they were able to avoid the heat!
ASF, Mediceo del Principato 4028, f. 130r
MAP DocID: 24239
Transcribed by Julia Vicioso
The Chapel of the Corporal in the Cathedral of Orveito, where the relic is kept
#relic #reliquary #orvieto #santocorporale #corpusdomini #corpuschristi #rome #roma #italy #italia #history #renaissance #earlymodern #summer #heat #weather](https://www.medici.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)