Mass of Bolsena

The "Mass of Bolsena" is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, painted between 1512 and 1514. It is located in the Stanza di Eliodoro in the Vatican Palace. The fresco depicts a 13th-century miracle that occurred in Bolsena, Italy, where a priest, doubting the doctrine of transubstantiation, witnessed blood seeping from a communion wafer he was consecrating.123

Raphael's work commemorates this event, showing the priest administering the sacrament. Pope Julius II, who visited the relic in 1506, is depicted kneeling to the right of the altar, integrating contemporary papal presence with the historical event. The fresco is known for its dramatic composition and rich colors, characteristic of Raphael's Roman period.13