&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "A Virgin Mary statue was 'weeping blood'. Bombshell revelation years later shows what was really happening")
A small Italian town with a Virgin Mary statue renowned for shedding "tears of blood" has been a popular pilgrimage site for years. The Madonna di Trevignano effigy has attracted thousands of devotees ever since news started swirling that the statue is miraculous. Gisella Cardia, the guardian of the statue, says that Virgin Mary, the 'Madonna', weeps tears of blood, and also conveys messages and visions to her. This was first revealed by her in 2016, and since then, people have been flocking to the tiny place in Italy. However, doubts have been raised over her claims, with some saying that it could be pig blood deliberately put there by someone. But this has not deterred people from believing that the status has miraculous powers. Cardia has also claimed that the statue once multiplied servings of food to feed dozens of people. This further cemented people's belief. However, findings conducted over the years and made public in 2025, reveal that something else was at play here, The Express reported.
Cardia says she bought the Mary statue in Medjugorje, a pilgrimage site in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The townspeople here have reported having visions and apparitions. Soon after, she started spreading the news that the statue was showing supernatural signs, of which "tears of blood" was the main one. Not everyone believed her and claimed pig blood was being used to make it appear like a miracle. Two years ago, a private investigator was hired to check her claims, leading to uproar. This led to the Italian military police and prosecutors getting involved.
Vatican on Madonna di Trevignano miracles
The Italian daily Corriere della Sera made a bombshell revelation in February 2025. A DNA analysis of the liquid near Virgin Mary's eyes showed that it did not come from an animal, but a human. In fact, it was Cardia's blood. Lead investigator Achille Cohen-Tavor called it a "breakthrough" in an investigation that continues, and where Cardia has been accused of fraud. She is accused of accepting donations in the name of funding a centre for ill children. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith last year concluded Madonna di Trevignano was of a regular status and no miracles were happening there. Meanwhile, Cardia's lawyer says that the DNA analysis does not mean her client was lying. Cardia has now gone missing, and even her lawyer claims she doesn't know where she is.
