The idea for a feast commemorating the transformation of the body and blood of Jesus Christ into wine and bread (the communion wafer) was born in Belgium in the 13th century. It began with a vision experienced by sixteen-year-old Julianna from the congregation of the Sisters of Saint Augustine in Mont Cornillon. Julianna claimed that she experienced mystical visions during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and reflection on the text of Scripture. In these visions, Jesus was said to visit her and inform her that he was and would remain present among people until the end of the world.
Theologians and clergy believed the teenager, which proved risky. Although celebrations of the Most Holy Body of Christ (Latin: Corpus Christi), as a feast of Eucharistic adoration, were first held in Fosses through the efforts of Robert of Thourotte, Bishop of Liège, in 1246, the teenager’s visions were soon declared heresy.
Julianna wandered for ten years after being exiled from the order, eventually ending her life in a walled-in cell as a recluse—a nun who vowed never to leave her own cell or communicate with other religious members. The most extreme form of reclusion, which Julianna chose, was to be walled into a cell until death.
Today, Corpus Christi is one of the most important feasts in the Catholic Church. It was restored in 1264 through the efforts of the archdeacon of Liège and Pope Urban IV, and celebrations of the Most Holy Body of the Lord were introduced throughout the Church.
Julianna of Mont Cornillon was canonized posthumously in 1869. Her veneration was first approved by Pope Clement VIII in 1599, and her canonization was carried out by Pius IX. Julianna’s feast is celebrated on dies natalis (Latin: day of birth), April 5.