Gisella Cardia faces trial on charges of fraud in case of alleged apparitions at Trevignano Romano.
A self-styled seer who claimed that a statue of the Virgin Mary near Rome wept tears of blood has been ordered to stand trial with her husband for alleged fraud related to fake miracles.
The case centres on Gisella Cardia and Gianni Cardia who are accused of staging fake apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Trevignano Romano, a small lakeside town north of Rome, on the third day of every month.
For several years hundreds of pilgrims from across Italy flocked to Cardia’s makeshift shrine, located in a field by the lake, in the hopes of witnessing an apparition of ‘Our Lady of Trevignano’.
Cardia, 55, claimed that her statue – which she purchased at the Catholic pilgrimage site of Međugorje in 2016 -was transmitting messages to her, including predictions of future disasters such as earthquakes.
Her claims that the statue wept tears of blood were later debunked when investigators proved that the blood was her own, according to Italian state broadcaster RAI News.
Last year the Vatican ruled that the alleged sightings were “not supernatural”, warning the faithful from attending gatherings at the shrine, which has since been removed by police, news agency ANSA reports.
Cardia, who has a previous conviction for bankruptcy fraud, allegedly used the monthly apparitions to induce the faithful to make donations, earning the Sicilian woman and her husband a reported €365,000.
These funds were allegedly used to purchase the land where the statue stood and other farmland in the area, pay for some renovations to the Cardias’ home, and buy a car costing €37,000, according to RAI News.
Solange Marchignoli, the lawyer representing Cardia, told ANSA that his client welcomed the news of the indictment “with serenity”, adding: “As paradoxical as it may seem, she actually expresses relief, believing this moment represents an opportunity to transparently reveal the truth of the facts and to definitively put an end to all forms of speculation, misunderstanding and controversy that have involved her in recent months”.
The trial has been scheduled for 7 April 2026 in Civitavecchia.
