A 97-year-old priest associated with famous mystical events near Akita, Japan, died last month with what those holding vigil at his side said was the odor of sanctity.

The priest, Father Teji Yasuda, who chronicled the events, was living at what is known at St. Michael’s House of Prayer in the suburbs of Tokyo when he passed on November 22, 2013. Witnesses assert that the fragrance — often depicted as a cross between lilies and roses — was so strong that hospital personnel were baffled.