The 19th-century 'miracle' heart relic of holy French woman and no trace of disease, scientists say

Heart of P. Jaricot at the opening of the silver cardiotaphe; on the right, cellulosic element (cardboard) and cardinal tassels.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences/MDPI

• Scientists found no trace of disease in the preserved heart of a French woman who a pope beatified.
• Pauline Jaricot, whose health was poor, was supposedly "cured" after a visit with the Pope in 1837.
• Some members of the Catholic Church see the recent findings as a sign of a miracle.

The preserved heart of a holy French woman from the 19th century intrigued scientists after they found the relic showed no signs of the heart disease that supposedly afflicted her. Some church members see this as a sign of a miracle. 

The Catholic Church asked a team of scientists and the Quai Branly museum in Paris to examine the heart of Pauline Jaricot — a 19th-century missionary worker from Lyon, France, who died in 1862 — to better understand the conditions of her death while the process of making her a saint is underway. 

A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences last week notes, "as religion and miracles have always been shrouded in a veil of mystery, many have examined and still question the authenticity of relics presented as holy."

Despite living with poor heart health for most of her life, Catholics have said a visit to Pope Gregory XVI in 1837 miraculously "cured" her of heart disease.

Researchers aimed to address the mystery of Jaricot's heart through macroscopic and spectrometry tests, which ultimately did not find "any evidence in favor of a cardiac origin for death," nor were there any traces that the heart had ever been embalmed, according to the study.

"No evidence that was inconsistent with natural and spontaneous conservation not mediated by the hand of man, which can be considered a miracle by the Roman Catholic Church, could be retrieved," the scientists said. 

—Diocèse de Lyon (@diocesedelyon) May 23, 2022

 

Pope Francis beatified Jaricot — the first stage of making someone a saint — last year after a 2012 incident where the Catholic Church alleged she miraculously intervened when a child nearly choked to death. 

The faithful have interpreted the recent findings as a powerful sign on her path to potential sainthood. 

Robert Poinard, the chancellor of the diocese of Lyon, told the French newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday, "It's an important finding for the Catholic faith because the worship of the saints is very attached to the exceptional conservation of certain relics. For the faithful, it's a sign of sainthood."

A popular figure in the Catholic faith, Jaricot renounced her wealthy lifestyle as a teenager, and she "burnt romantic books and passionate songs, abandoned her jewelry, disposed of her most beautiful dresses," and eventually became a dedicated missionary for the church.

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