In biblical narratives, Bethlehem is best known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Yet, a few steps away from the Basilica of the Nativity lies a lesser-known but equally fascinating site: the Milk Grotto. This grotto, steeped in mysticism and tradition, offers a peculiar natural relic: a chalky white soil that has been used for centuries as both a remedy and a devotional object.
A Marian Legend Behind the Phenomenon
According to tradition, as the Virgin Mary was nursing the infant Jesus, a drop of milk fell onto the grotto’s stone, transforming it into a bright white hue. This event, interpreted as a sign of purity and fertility, turned the grotto into a pilgrimage site for women seeking blessings for conception or motherhood.
This chalky substance bears a remarkable resemblance to curdled milk. In certain parts of the world, such as Murcia and Naples, similar relics reportedly liquefy miraculously, like real milk, on feast days and during religious celebrations, adding a supernatural element to their veneration.
The Benefits and Uses of the Chalky Soil
The entrance to the Milk Grotto in Bethlehem – photo by Britchi Mirela / Wikimedia Commons
The powder from the Milk Grotto has been regarded as a natural “medicine” with numerous supposed benefits:
Enhancing fertility: Women struggling with infertility would consume the powder in hopes of conceiving.
Increasing lactation: Many testimonies claim this soil could restore milk flow to nursing mothers and promote abundant lactation.
Spiritual protection: Carrying a small amount of the powder or keeping it at home is believed to bring blessings and serenity.
A Franciscan Tradition of Healing
Interior of the Milk Grotto – photo by Ralf Roletschek / Roletschek.at
From the medieval period to the 20th century, the Franciscans who managed the grotto distributed small pieces of the chalky soil, about the size of a token. Pilgrims were instructed to dissolve these fragments in water and consume the mixture while engaging in prayer. This combination of faith and physical consumption was believed to facilitate miraculous healing or divine assistance with fertility and motherhood challenges.
Medieval Devotion and Sixteenth-Century Explanations
The medieval popularity of this practice is well documented, but it was especially during the 16th century that detailed accounts of the Milk Grotto emerged.
Franciscan Accounts: By this time, the Franciscan Order had taken control of the grotto, contributing to its widespread fame. Pilgrims visiting the grotto left numerous written records, detailing both the legend of the Virgin’s milk and the practical applications of the soil.
Travel Writers: European travellers described their encounters with this peculiar relic and its associated miracles. These reports helped solidify the grotto’s reputation as a centre of Marian devotion and natural remedy.
Alchemical Interpretations: Renaissance alchemists showed particular interest in the grotto’s chalky soil, seeking to explain its miraculous properties. They compared it to the “materia prima,” the mystical substance thought to underlie all creation, linking the grotto to both spiritual and material transformation.
Hymns Honouring the Virgin’s Milk
This devotion inspired many hymns and antiphons, testifying to the central role of the Virgin Mary’s milk in medieval spirituality.
At Évron in northwestern France, later tradition traced a local shrine to a returning pilgrim who claimed to have obtained a crystal vial of the Virgin’s milk after years in captivity, and whose journey was marked by a hawthorn-tree miracle that drew the attention of Hardouin, bishop of Le Mans. The story says the bishop received the vial with reverence and, by divine revelation, founded an abbey there in 630—staffed by Benedictine monks—which soon attracted pilgrims and was especially associated with help for nursing women invoking the Virgin. This devotion also found its way into this song:
Honour to the milk of the glorious Virgin, To this holy milk of immense sweetness. May the praises of this milk often be repeated, The milk by which our God was nourished in His humanity.
Meanwhile, at the Church of Saint-Gervais in Paris, this antiphon was sung during Vespers:
Milk of the glorious Virgin, Milk of immense sweetness, Holy milk, be honoured. And also a portion of her veil, So that the Mother and the Son May be our present light.
Relics of Milk in France and Beyond
Murcia Cathedral Museum , “Virgin of the Milk”, Modena altarpiece dating back to the 14th century – Wikimedia Commons
France developed its own unique devotion to such relics, particularly those linked to lactation. Notable examples include:
Nantes: In the Chapel of Créé-Lait (now the Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Champs), a statue of the Virgin was believed to aid nursing mothers by promoting abundant milk flow. Pilgrims would visit seeking Mary’s assistance in overcoming breastfeeding difficulties.
Reims: The Chapel of the Holy Milk housed a relic that was solemnly venerated weekly. Women flocked to this site to bless their motherhood or resolve issues with lactation.
Naples and Murcia: In these southern European cities, similar relics were known to liquefy on Marian feast days, reminiscent of the famed “Blood of Saint Januarius” miracle in Naples.
The Milk Grotto: Not a Virgin’s Milk Relic, But a Grotto Relic
These two objects, one still with its paper wrapping, were collected by Christian worshippers on a pilgrimage to Bethlehem in the early twentieth century. Photo by Wellcome Collection / Wikimedia Commons
It is important to note that these relics are not actually linked to the Virgin Mary’s milk, but to the soil of the Milk Grotto itself. The first known relics of this chalky substance were brought to Oviedo in the seventh century, and a second relic, brought by Charlemagne in the early ninth century, was given to a church in Picardy.
In 1123, during the Siege of Ascalon, Bishop Ascétin of Bethlehem brought a relic from the Milk Grotto to the camp of Baldwin II. The relic’s fame continued to spread throughout Europe, with references to it in texts by Guibert de Nogent (d.1124), who doubted the milk’s authenticity but acknowledged its miraculous properties in his treatise De Pignoribus Sanctorum.
While the legend of the Virgin Mary’s milk, celebrated in places like Laon, Chartres, and Reims, gained popularity, it is essential to distinguish between these beliefs and the Grotto of Milk relics themselves. For instance, Fulbert of Chartres was reportedly healed using the milk of the Virgin, yet this was entirely separate from the Grotto relics.
The lactatio of Saint Bernard also has no direct connection to these relics, as the practice was based more on Marian devotion than on the physical milk of the Virgin. Guillaume de Malmesbury even referenced the Virgin’s milk in his writings, but this too was part of a broader tradition, unrelated to the Milk Grotto relics.
A Comparable Phenomenon: The “Moon Milk” of Switzerland
Interestingly, a similar phenomenon exists in Switzerland, near Lake Pilatus in the Alps. There, chalky deposits known as “Moon Milk” (Mondmilch) are extracted from nearby caves. These deposits, which also resemble curdled milk, have been associated with fertility and healing traditions, much like the Milk Grotto’s chalk.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
LES RELIQUES DU LAIT DE LA VIERGE ET LA GALACTITE, F. de Mély, Revue Archéologique, Troisième Série, T. 15 (Janvier-Juin 1890), pp. 103-116, Presses Universitaires de France
Top Image: This tablet of white chalky earth from the Milk Grotto in the holy city of Bethlehem was intended to be eaten. It dates from the 1920s. Photo by Wellcome Collection / Wikimedia Commons
By Lorris Chevalier
In biblical narratives, Bethlehem is best known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Yet, a few steps away from the Basilica of the Nativity lies a lesser-known but equally fascinating site: the Milk Grotto. This grotto, steeped in mysticism and tradition, offers a peculiar natural relic: a chalky white soil that has been used for centuries as both a remedy and a devotional object.
A Marian Legend Behind the Phenomenon
According to tradition, as the Virgin Mary was nursing the infant Jesus, a drop of milk fell onto the grotto’s stone, transforming it into a bright white hue. This event, interpreted as a sign of purity and fertility, turned the grotto into a pilgrimage site for women seeking blessings for conception or motherhood.
This chalky substance bears a remarkable resemblance to curdled milk. In certain parts of the world, such as Murcia and Naples, similar relics reportedly liquefy miraculously, like real milk, on feast days and during religious celebrations, adding a supernatural element to their veneration.
The Benefits and Uses of the Chalky Soil
The powder from the Milk Grotto has been regarded as a natural “medicine” with numerous supposed benefits:
A Franciscan Tradition of Healing
From the medieval period to the 20th century, the Franciscans who managed the grotto distributed small pieces of the chalky soil, about the size of a token. Pilgrims were instructed to dissolve these fragments in water and consume the mixture while engaging in prayer. This combination of faith and physical consumption was believed to facilitate miraculous healing or divine assistance with fertility and motherhood challenges.
Medieval Devotion and Sixteenth-Century Explanations
The medieval popularity of this practice is well documented, but it was especially during the 16th century that detailed accounts of the Milk Grotto emerged.
Franciscan Accounts: By this time, the Franciscan Order had taken control of the grotto, contributing to its widespread fame. Pilgrims visiting the grotto left numerous written records, detailing both the legend of the Virgin’s milk and the practical applications of the soil.
Travel Writers: European travellers described their encounters with this peculiar relic and its associated miracles. These reports helped solidify the grotto’s reputation as a centre of Marian devotion and natural remedy.
Alchemical Interpretations: Renaissance alchemists showed particular interest in the grotto’s chalky soil, seeking to explain its miraculous properties. They compared it to the “materia prima,” the mystical substance thought to underlie all creation, linking the grotto to both spiritual and material transformation.
Hymns Honouring the Virgin’s Milk
This devotion inspired many hymns and antiphons, testifying to the central role of the Virgin Mary’s milk in medieval spirituality.
At Évron in northwestern France, later tradition traced a local shrine to a returning pilgrim who claimed to have obtained a crystal vial of the Virgin’s milk after years in captivity, and whose journey was marked by a hawthorn-tree miracle that drew the attention of Hardouin, bishop of Le Mans. The story says the bishop received the vial with reverence and, by divine revelation, founded an abbey there in 630—staffed by Benedictine monks—which soon attracted pilgrims and was especially associated with help for nursing women invoking the Virgin. This devotion also found its way into this song:
Honour to the milk of the glorious Virgin,
To this holy milk of immense sweetness.
May the praises of this milk often be repeated,
The milk by which our God was nourished in His humanity.
Meanwhile, at the Church of Saint-Gervais in Paris, this antiphon was sung during Vespers:
Milk of the glorious Virgin,
Milk of immense sweetness,
Holy milk, be honoured.
And also a portion of her veil,
So that the Mother and the Son
May be our present light.
Relics of Milk in France and Beyond
France developed its own unique devotion to such relics, particularly those linked to lactation. Notable examples include:
Nantes: In the Chapel of Créé-Lait (now the Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Champs), a statue of the Virgin was believed to aid nursing mothers by promoting abundant milk flow. Pilgrims would visit seeking Mary’s assistance in overcoming breastfeeding difficulties.
Reims: The Chapel of the Holy Milk housed a relic that was solemnly venerated weekly. Women flocked to this site to bless their motherhood or resolve issues with lactation.
Naples and Murcia: In these southern European cities, similar relics were known to liquefy on Marian feast days, reminiscent of the famed “Blood of Saint Januarius” miracle in Naples.
The Milk Grotto: Not a Virgin’s Milk Relic, But a Grotto Relic
It is important to note that these relics are not actually linked to the Virgin Mary’s milk, but to the soil of the Milk Grotto itself. The first known relics of this chalky substance were brought to Oviedo in the seventh century, and a second relic, brought by Charlemagne in the early ninth century, was given to a church in Picardy.
In 1123, during the Siege of Ascalon, Bishop Ascétin of Bethlehem brought a relic from the Milk Grotto to the camp of Baldwin II. The relic’s fame continued to spread throughout Europe, with references to it in texts by Guibert de Nogent (d.1124), who doubted the milk’s authenticity but acknowledged its miraculous properties in his treatise De Pignoribus Sanctorum.
While the legend of the Virgin Mary’s milk, celebrated in places like Laon, Chartres, and Reims, gained popularity, it is essential to distinguish between these beliefs and the Grotto of Milk relics themselves. For instance, Fulbert of Chartres was reportedly healed using the milk of the Virgin, yet this was entirely separate from the Grotto relics.
The lactatio of Saint Bernard also has no direct connection to these relics, as the practice was based more on Marian devotion than on the physical milk of the Virgin. Guillaume de Malmesbury even referenced the Virgin’s milk in his writings, but this too was part of a broader tradition, unrelated to the Milk Grotto relics.
A Comparable Phenomenon: The “Moon Milk” of Switzerland
Interestingly, a similar phenomenon exists in Switzerland, near Lake Pilatus in the Alps. There, chalky deposits known as “Moon Milk” (Mondmilch) are extracted from nearby caves. These deposits, which also resemble curdled milk, have been associated with fertility and healing traditions, much like the Milk Grotto’s chalk.
Dr Lorris Chevalier, who has a Ph.D. in medieval literature, is a historical advisor for movies, including The Last Duel and Napoleon. Click here to view his website.
Click here to read more from Lorris Chevalier
Further Readings:
LES RELIQUES DU LAIT DE LA VIERGE ET LA GALACTITE, F. de Mély, Revue Archéologique, Troisième Série, T. 15 (Janvier-Juin 1890), pp. 103-116, Presses Universitaires de France
Top Image: This tablet of white chalky earth from the Milk Grotto in the holy city of Bethlehem was intended to be eaten. It dates from the 1920s. Photo by Wellcome Collection / Wikimedia Commons
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