Seawater that eventually turned into the blood of Christ; it is the miracle of Mons that is commemorated this week after 600 years. A theater group acted out the story and a walking guide was presented containing three historical routes. “It is important to keep these stories alive,” says Willem Smit of the Bergen Historical Association.
You wouldn’t say it, but a miracle took place in the polder of Bergen in 1421. After a devastating storm, the dike broke at Petten, causing the village, including the church, to be swallowed by the sea. A day later, a wooden box was found in the polder near a ditch in Bergen, containing a chalice containing sacred wafers.
The pastor of Petten, who was one of the few who had survived the disaster, traveled to Bergen to receive the coffin. He ate the wafers and the seawater that was still in the chalice was kept in a bowl in the old village church of Bergen, now known as the Ruin Church.
Blood of Christ
After six months on Whitsun, the seawater in the bowl had disappeared, but there was only red dust on the bottom. “It was a miracle that the coffin was found,” says Willem Smit of the Bergen Historical Association. “When the water evaporated and red dust remained, people immediately thought that it must be the blood of Christ. The miracle made Bergen a place of pilgrimage.”
Due to the corona crisis, the commemoration could not take place last year. So now it is actually 601 years ago, and that was celebrated with a performance in which the story was portrayed by a theater group. “There is nothing more beautiful than passing on the stories to a new generation. It is a story about hope, faith and being together and that is still current today.”
In any case, the weather gods did not cooperate during the performance. It rained quite hard at times. Despite that, the children did their utmost to portray the story as beautifully as possible. You can see that in the video below!