Overview
The basilica of Santa Cristina preserves the most ancient and spiritual soul of Bolsena, creating a contrast with the pleasantly carefree atmosphere of the village's lakefront and marina, crowded with small restaurants and bars. The Renaissance façade conceals a Romanesque interior and a much older foundation: the church was consecrated in 1077 by Pope Gregory VII, but its roots go back to even earlier times. In fact, it stands above the catacombs where, according to tradition, Saint Christina martyr was buried between the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 4th century. For centuries, pilgrims travelling along the Via Francigena stopped here to pray in the Grotto of Santa Cristina, a portion of the ancient catacombs that was enlarged and converted into the basilica's crypt, with the saint's tomb.
In 1263, it was here in the grotto that what the Church describes as the Eucharistic Miracle took place: drops of blood allegedly trickled from the consecrated host, testifying to the real presence of Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist and disproving the doubts nurtured by the officiating Bohemian priest. This is recalled by the fresco on the arch leading to the hypogeum, dating back to the 13th century: it is the oldest iconographic evidence of the miracle. Other important works of art adorning the basilica include a wooden Crucifix by the Umbro-Senese school from the 16th century, the 15th-century frescoes in the Rosary Chapel and its large tabernacle by Benedetto Buglioni (1493-97), and in the presbytery, a 15th-century polyptych attributed to the Sienese Sano di Pietro and Benvenuto di Giovanni.
