Manna of St. Andrew: the First Apostle and the Miracle that Continues in Amalfi

Is it possible that from the bones of a man who lived two thousand years ago a mysterious liquid still continues to flow?

In Amalfi, in the crypt of the Cathedral dedicated to St. Andrew, this question is not just a theory: it is a living tradition. From the tomb that holds the relics of the apostle, several times a year, according to witnesses, there emerges a clear, oily substance known as the manna of St. Andrew.

St. Andrew

It is not a dogma of faith, but a sign that has accompanied the devotion of God’s people for centuries. And from this sign we can let ourselves be guided on a journey that unites the Gospel, the history of the Church and our spiritual life: getting to know St. Andrew, the first apostle called by Jesus, and contemplating the meaning of the manna that bears his name.

St. Andrew the Apostle, the First Called by Jesus

The Gospels present St. Andrew as the brother of Simon Peter, a fisherman on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in Bethsaida and Capernaum. Before meeting Jesus, Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. It is precisely John who, seeing Jesus pass by, points Him out as “the Lamb of God” (cf. Jn 1:35–40).

Andrew, together with another disciple, decides to follow Him. This is the famous episode where Jesus asks: “What are you looking for?” and they answer: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” Jesus invites them: “Come and see.” That day, John notes, “it was about the tenth hour”, about four in the afternoon (cf. Jn 1:39). It is a very precise detail, almost like a diary entry: the mark of an encounter that changed a life forever.

Andrew is considered in tradition the Protoklêtos, the “first called”, because he was among the very first to follow Jesus, and it was he who, filled with joy, ran to his brother Simon Peter to tell him: “We have found the Messiah!” (Jn 1:41).

After his calling, Andrew appears in other key moments of the Gospel:

when he brings to Jesus the boy with the five loaves and two fish in the miracle of the multiplication (cf. Jn 6:8–9);

when some Greeks want to see Jesus and approach Philip and Andrew (cf. Jn 12:20–22).

These may seem like small details, but they tell us a lot: St. Andrew is the apostle who brings people to Christ, who introduces and accompanies, who builds a bridge between Jesus and his brothers and sisters.

According to tradition, after Pentecost Andrew evangelised different regions, especially in the area of Achaia in Greece, and died a martyr in Patras, crucified on an X-shaped cross, because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way as his Lord.

From Patras to Amalfi: the Journey of the Relics of St. Andrew

How did the relics of St. Andrew arrive in Amalfi? Here the history of the Church comes into play, made up of pilgrimages, crusades, transfer of relics and popular devotion.

Historical sources tell us that the body of the apostle was venerated in Patras, Greece, from the first centuries. Later, part of his relics was transferred to Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Empire. In the 13th century, after the Fourth Crusade, Cardinal Pietro Capuano, a native of Amalfi, took a significant portion of the relics to his hometown.

From that moment on, Amalfi became one of the great centres of devotion to St. Andrew. The Cathedral, with its majestic staircase and the crypt that houses the apostle’s body, is the heart of a devotion that spans centuries. The feasts in honour of St. Andrew are not limited to 30 November: the city celebrates the saint on various dates throughout the year, especially on 27 June, in memory of the miracle with which, according to tradition, he saved Amalfi from a violent storm.

It is in this context that the particular phenomenon called the Manna of St. Andrew takes place.

What Is the Manna of St. Andrew in Amalfi?

The manna of St. Andrew is the name given to a liquid that, according to testimonies, periodically exudes from the relics of the apostle preserved in the crypt of the Cathedral of Amalfi. It is a clear, slightly oily or gelatinous substance that is collected in small amounts in a cavity near the tomb or in ampoules connected to it.

Tradition recounts that this phenomenon occurs several times a year, in connection with special feasts dedicated to St. Andrew. The manna is then collected with great reverence and, in the past, was also used to bless the faithful and the sick.

Historical accounts speak of healings associated with contact with the manna of St. Andrew, such as:

a man from Tramonti, blind for seven years, who is said to have recovered his sight;

a child suffering from “falling sickness” (epilepsy) who was reportedly healed.

These events belong to the realm of miraculous tradition and, as always in such cases, the Church is cautious: she distinguishes between the faith of the people, who see in these signs a caress from God, and the level of doctrine, which does not bind Christians to believe in these phenomena.

More generally, the Church uses the expression “holy manna” or “saints’ manna” to describe liquid that exudes from relics or sacred images. From a chemical point of view, it is usually comparable to water, but its appearance in a context of prayer and veneration is interpreted by many faithful as a sign of the intercession and closeness of the saints.

The Manna of St. Andrew Between Faith and Reason

How should a Christian approach the manna of St. Andrew?

Christian faith does not ask us to switch off our reason, but neither does it require that we close ourselves to signs. On the one hand, science can study the substance, describe it and analyse it from a chemical point of view. On the other hand, no microscope will ever be able to say whether its appearance is “miraculous” or not: this belongs to another level, that of the spiritual meaning of events.

When facing phenomena such as the manna of the saints, the Church follows some clear criteria of discernment:

Prudence: a miracle is never proclaimed lightly.

Verification: testimonies are collected and the Church distinguishes between authentic devotion and superstition.

Freedom: no believer is obliged to accept these manifestations as if they were articles of faith.

Still, the manna of St. Andrew remains a fact that recurs in the history of Amalfi, accompanied by centuries of prayer, pilgrimages and personal conversions. For many believers it is not so much “the substance” that is miraculous as what it awakens: a return to prayer, a request for forgiveness, a renewed confidence in the intercession of the saints.

St. Andrew and His Manna: a Sign of Living Water in Our Dryness

If we look at the story of St. Andrew and the sign of the manna, we can read between the lines a deeply evangelical message.

Andrew is the disciple who leaves his nets, follows Jesus and brings other people to Him. He is the apostle who, in the gesture of the boy with the loaves, shows how something small placed in Christ’s hands can become food for a crowd. He is the brother who does not keep for himself the joy of having found the Messiah, but immediately shares it with Peter.

The manna of St. Andrew, exuding from a body buried for centuries, seems to remind us that in God nothing is truly “dry” or “finished”. Where we see only bones, dust and the past, the Holy Spirit can still bring forth a sign, a grace, a call to conversion. It is as if the Lord were telling us:

“Holiness is not a museum memory. It is a spring that continues to flow in my Church.”

In a world often spiritually parched, where many live without reference points, the fact that an apostle from the first century continues to gather pilgrims in the twenty-first century says something. It tells us that the Gospel is alive, that the communion of saints is not poetry but reality, and that relics are not just “ancient objects” but signs of a bond that goes beyond death.

How This Mystery Can Touch Our Daily Life

Not everyone can travel to Amalfi and stand physically before the tomb of St. Andrew. But all of us can let ourselves be challenged by the message of this apostle and by the manna that bears his name.

Here are some concrete paths:

1. Rediscover your personal calling

Andrew is the “first called”. You too are called by name. You can reread John 1:35–42 and ideally place your own name where Andrew’s appears: “Jesus turned and saw [your name] following him and said, ‘What are you looking for?’” The manna of St. Andrew reminds us that Christ’s call does not belong only to the past.

2. Bring those who are “far away” to Jesus

Andrew brings Peter to Jesus, brings the boy with the loaves, welcomes the Greeks who want to see the Lord. We too can be “bridges”: a simple invitation to Mass, a Gospel given as a gift, a word of faith in a moment of pain. The real manna today can be a concrete witness that nourishes the hope of those around us.

3. Ask St. Andrew for a less “dry” heart

If you feel dry in prayer, empty or disillusioned, you can ask St. Andrew to intercede for you, so that in your heart a spiritual “manna” may begin to flow again: a taste for God’s Word, joy in the sacraments, a desire to serve. The relics from which the manna exudes remind us that God can make living water spring forth even from the areas of our life that we consider dead.

4. Live the signs without superstition but with simple faith

There is no need to chase after extraordinary phenomena. But when the local Church preserves a centuries-old tradition such as the manna of St. Andrew, we can look at it with respect, asking the Lord not so much for the “extraordinary”, but for the grace of a more docile, more open, more available heart.

The First Called and a Sign That Still Speaks

St. Andrew the apostle, brother of Peter, protector of Amalfi and of many Churches in the world, continues to speak to Christians today through the Gospel and through history. The manna of St. Andrew is not an “obligation of faith”, but a sign that Providence has sown along the centuries to remind us that God does not abandon His Church.

The apostle who one day, on the banks of the Jordan, heard Jesus say “Come and see”, today seems to repeat the same words to us:

“Come and see how the Lord continues to act, how He continues to let grace flow into your life, even where you see only fatigue and desert.”

May this ancient miracle, preserved in the crypt of Amalfi, become for each of us an invitation not to settle for a “dry” faith, but to seek every day the source of living water which is Christ, together with His apostles and His saints.