The Miracles of Saint Charbel
Saint Charbel Makhlouf lived a life that, by ordinary measures, produced nothing remarkable. He preached no sermons. He founded no movement. He wrote nothing that has survived beyond a few lines of correspondence. For twenty-three years he lived as a hermit in a stone cell above the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya, rising before dawn, celebrating Mass in silence, working in a small garden, and speaking as little as possible.
What has made Saint Charbel one of the most venerated saints of the modern Catholic world is not what happened during his life, but what began after his death on December 24, 1898. Over the last 125 years, tens of thousands of people have reported healings and favors received through his intercession. The walls of the chapel containing his tomb at Annaya are lined with crutches, braces, and handwritten letters from pilgrims across every continent. Reports come from Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Muslims, Druze, and people of no religious background.
This article offers a careful overview of the miracles attributed to Saint Charbel: the phenomena surrounding his body, the holy oil from his tomb, the cases officially recognized by the Vatican for his beatification and canonization, and the ongoing stream of testimonies from pilgrims today. For a chronological list of named cases across the last 125 years, see our list of documented Saint Charbel miracles. The Catholic Church teaches that miracles are ultimately the work of God. Saints are asked to pray with us and for us. The language of "Saint Charbel's miracles" is a shorthand for favors believed to have been granted by God through his intercession.
The Body: Incorruption and the Light from the Grave
Saint Charbel died in his hermitage on Christmas Eve, 1898, eight days after suffering a stroke during the elevation of the Eucharist at Mass. He was sixty-eight. The monks buried him in the monastery cemetery according to the custom of the Lebanese Maronite Order — without a coffin, his body placed directly in the earth, wrapped only in his habit.
In the weeks following his burial, monks and villagers reported seeing a bright light emanating from his grave at night. The accounts were numerous and persistent enough that the monastery superiors, after several months of deliberation, ordered the grave opened. On April 15, 1899 — roughly four months after his burial — the body was exhumed. According to the monastic records, the body was found intact and flexible. It was floating, in effect, in a reddish liquid that had accumulated around it. The limbs moved freely. The features of the face were recognizable.
The body was placed in a wooden coffin and moved to a chapel within the monastery. Over the following decades, it was examined multiple times by ecclesiastical authorities, doctors, and scientific commissions. A particularly well-documented exhumation took place in 1927. Another in 1950 involved the Archbishop of Beirut and medical professionals. Each examination confirmed the unusual state of preservation and the continuing presence of the reddish oil-like substance.
Around 1965, the year of Saint Charbel's beatification, the body began to undergo normal decomposition. His bones are now preserved in a reliquary at the monastery. The Church treats the prolonged incorruption that preceded this as one of the remarkable phenomena surrounding his sainthood, though incorruption alone is not required for canonization. What mattered for the canonization process was not simply the state of the body but the healings attributed to his intercession.
The Holy Oil
From the first exhumation in 1899, monks at Annaya observed a reddish, oil-like substance seeping from the pores of Saint Charbel's body and from his tomb. The substance was absorbed into cotton cloths and collected in small vessels. Pilgrims who applied it to their bodies, or who drank it in small quantities, frequently reported healings. The oil has come to be known as the "holy oil of Saint Charbel" and is one of the most recognized sacramentals associated with any modern saint.
Small vials of oil blessed at Saint Charbel's tomb are distributed freely at Annaya and by many Maronite parishes around the world. The oil is treated by the Church as a sacramental — a blessed object that can accompany prayer — not as a magical substance. Catholics are encouraged to use it with faith, asking for God's grace through the intercession of Saint Charbel.
Reports of healings associated with the oil are voluminous. The monastery at Annaya maintains an archive of testimonies sent by pilgrims from around the world describing recoveries from cancer, paralysis, infertility, mental illness, addiction, and other conditions after the use of the oil and prayer through Saint Charbel's intercession. Many of these testimonies are accompanied by medical records and photographs.
The Vatican-Recognized Miracles
The Catholic Church has a careful, lengthy process for the canonization of a saint. For beatification (elevation to "Blessed"), a miracle must be formally recognized after the saint's death. For canonization (declaration as a saint in the universal Church), a further miracle is required. Each case is investigated by medical commissions and theological experts. For a healing to be accepted, it must be complete, immediate, permanent, and scientifically inexplicable.
In Saint Charbel's case the evidence gathered at Annaya ran into the thousands. Three healings were formally accepted by the Vatican across the beatification and canonization processes. Two took place in 1950 and were accepted for his beatification by Pope Paul VI on December 5, 1965. A third, in 1967, was accepted for his canonization by the same pope on October 9, 1977.
The Beatification Miracles (1950)
The first case is the healing of Iskandar Naim Obeid, a blacksmith from the village of Baabdat in Lebanon. Years earlier, a metal fragment had struck his right eye, leaving him blind on that side for more than a decade. In 1950 he made a pilgrimage to Annaya and reported seeing a monk in a dream who touched his eye. He awoke with his sight fully restored. Ophthalmologists who examined him could find no medical explanation for the recovery.
The second case is that of Sister Maria Abel Kamari, a religious of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts. Since 1936 she had suffered from severe gastric ulcers, bone disease, and paralysis of the right hand. Bedridden for fourteen years, she was taken to the tomb of Saint Charbel on July 11, 1950. According to the testimony recorded by the Maronite Order, she was instantly and completely healed at the tomb. Medical examinations afterward confirmed the recovery and could identify no natural cause.
Both cases were investigated by medical commissions appointed by the Maronite Patriarchate and later by the Roman authorities. They were accepted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints as the miracles required for Saint Charbel's beatification, which was celebrated by Pope Paul VI on December 5, 1965.
The Canonization Miracle: Mariam Assaf Awad (1967)
Mariam Assaf Awad was a Lebanese woman suffering from metastatic stomach cancer that had spread to her throat and intestines. Two surgeries, in 1963 and 1965, had failed to arrest the disease. By 1967 her condition was considered terminal. Her family brought her to Annaya, where she prayed at Saint Charbel's tomb and was anointed with the holy oil.
According to her testimony, she awoke the following morning free of all symptoms. Medical examinations in the weeks and months that followed confirmed the complete disappearance of the disease. The case was examined by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and accepted as the miracle required for canonization. On October 9, 1977, Pope Paul VI proclaimed Charbel Makhlouf a saint of the universal Church.
Ongoing Testimonies
The formal processes for beatification and canonization required only the cases above. But the Church has never ceased receiving testimonies of favors attributed to Saint Charbel's intercession. The monastery at Annaya documents thousands of new reports each year; its registry of reported healings now numbers in the tens of thousands across more than one hundred countries. These testimonies include:
Healings from cancer: Many testimonies describe recoveries from cancers that were considered terminal, following prayers to Saint Charbel and often the use of the holy oil. Some of these cases are documented in medical records; others are less formal. The Church does not treat every testimony as a certified miracle, but the sheer volume of reports is part of why Saint Charbel's cult has spread so widely.
Conversions and returns to faith: A category of testimonies less often discussed in popular accounts concerns spiritual healing: people who had left the faith or who had never believed, and who report a conversion or return to prayer following an encounter with Saint Charbel, often during a pilgrimage to Annaya.
Healings reported by Muslims: Many Muslims in Lebanon and across the region visit Saint Charbel's tomb and report favors received. In some well-known accounts, Muslim pilgrims have reported visions or dreams of Saint Charbel in monastic dress, leading them to the monastery and to healing. This pattern of cross-religious veneration is a recognized feature of Saint Charbel's cult in the Middle East.
The "Nohad El Shami" case (1993): One of the most widely reported modern cases. Nohad El Shami, a Maronite woman from Lebanon, experienced partial paralysis in 1993. According to her account, two monks appeared to her in a dream — one was Saint Charbel, who performed a kind of incision at the side of her neck. She awoke with two incision scars on her neck that remain visible, and her paralysis was healed. Reports claim the scars still occasionally produce blood or a clear fluid. While not formally declared a Vatican-recognized miracle, the case has become one of the most cited contemporary testimonies of Saint Charbel's intercession and is documented at Annaya.
How the Church Evaluates Miracles
Not every report of a healing or favor is recognized by the Catholic Church as a formal miracle. The Congregation for the Causes of Saints (now the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints) applies strict criteria. For a healing to be declared miraculous:
It must be complete: Partial recoveries do not qualify. The healing must restore full function.
It must be immediate: Gradual recoveries over months or years are not accepted, even if they are remarkable.
It must be permanent: A recurrence of the illness would disqualify the case.
It must be scientifically inexplicable: Medical experts, not only theologians, examine the case and must conclude that no natural cause can account for the recovery.
It must be directly attributable to the intercession requested: There must be clear evidence of prayers offered to the candidate for sainthood and a temporal link between those prayers and the healing.
The cases examined under these criteria were sufficient to beatify and canonize Saint Charbel. The Church does not claim to have certified every reported miracle in his name, only that the evidence for his sanctity, including the Vatican-recognized miracles, the long incorruption of his body, the oil from his tomb, and the continuous testimonies, is overwhelming.
How to Ask for Saint Charbel's Intercession
Catholic devotion offers several traditional paths for asking Saint Charbel to pray for a need. The most common is the Novena to Saint Charbel, nine consecutive days of prayer that include a specific petition. Others include:
Visiting the tomb at Annaya: Pilgrims come from every continent. The tomb chapel at the Monastery of Saint Maron is open to visitors year-round without entrance fee. Many leave written petitions at the tomb.
Using the holy oil: Small vials of oil blessed at the tomb are widely available. The oil is applied as a sacramental to accompany prayer, not as a cure in itself.
Attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist: Saint Charbel's devotion to the Eucharist was the center of his spiritual life. Participation in the sacraments is considered by the Church to be the primary path to grace, with the saint's intercession as a supporting prayer.
The Saint Charbel Prayer for Healing: A short, traditional prayer asking for healing of body and soul through Saint Charbel's intercession.
The Maronite Church emphasizes that favors received are to be attributed ultimately to God, who heals through the prayers of the saints. The traditional response upon receiving a favor is not only gratitude but also deeper conversion: a return to prayer, to the sacraments, and to the life of the Gospel. Saint Charbel himself, silent in his hermitage, would likely want his miracles to lead not to spectacle but to the silence of prayer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What miracles is Saint Charbel known for?
Saint Charbel is known for the incorrupt state of his body after death, the reddish oil that seeped from his tomb for decades, and tens of thousands of reported healings through his intercession. The Vatican formally recognized the healings of Iskandar Naim Obeid (right-eye blindness, 1950) and Sister Maria Abel Kamari (paralysis and gastric disease, 1950) for his beatification in 1965, and the healing of Mariam Assaf Awad (metastatic cancer, 1967) for his canonization in 1977. A full list of documented cases is available separately.
What is Saint Charbel's holy oil?
After Saint Charbel's death in 1898, monks at Annaya observed a reddish oil-like substance seeping from his body and from his tomb. This substance, associated with many reported healings, is the "holy oil" distributed as a sacramental to pilgrims. The Church treats the oil as an aid to prayer, not a magical object. Small vials of oil blessed at Annaya are given freely at the monastery and by Maronite parishes worldwide.
Is Saint Charbel's body really incorrupt?
Saint Charbel's body remained remarkably well-preserved for decades after his death, confirmed in multiple official exhumations between 1899 and the mid-twentieth century. The body has undergone normal decomposition since around the time of his beatification in 1965. His bones are now preserved in a reliquary at the Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya. The extended period of incorruption, together with the oil from the tomb and the healings attributed to him, was central to the case for his canonization.
How do you ask Saint Charbel for a miracle?
The traditional path is the Novena to Saint Charbel — nine consecutive days of prayer with a specific intention. Other practices include visiting his tomb at Annaya, anointing oneself with the holy oil, attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist, and praying the traditional Saint Charbel Prayer for Healing. Catholics believe it is God who grants miracles; the saint is asked to pray with us and for us.
Are Saint Charbel's miracles only for Catholics?
No. Reports of favors and healings through Saint Charbel's intercession come from Christians of every denomination, Muslims, Druze, and people of no religious background. Annaya monastery's archives contain testimonies from around the world across religious lines. In Lebanon and the wider Middle East, Saint Charbel is venerated beyond the borders of the Maronite Church, and Muslim pilgrims are a regular presence at the tomb.
Where can I read about documented Saint Charbel miracles?
The Monastery of Saint Maron in Annaya publishes collected accounts of miracles and maintains an archive of testimonies. Several books have been written, primarily in Arabic and French, compiling case studies. The Vatican's decrees for Saint Charbel's beatification and canonization document the officially recognized miracles. The monastery's official channels remain the best source for up-to-date testimonies. For a chronological overview of named cases, see our list of documented Saint Charbel miracles.
See also: Saint Charbel Makhlouf. List of documented miracles. Annaya Monastery. Novena to Saint Charbel. Saint Charbel Prayer for Healing. The Maronite tradition.