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Stigmata

For other senses of this word, see Stigma and stigmata (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Stigmatism.

Hands with stigmata, depicted on a Franciscan church in Lienz, Austria
St Catherine fainting from the stigmata by Il Sodoma, Church of Saint Pantaleon, Alsace, France

Stigmata (Ancient Greek: στίγματα, plural of στίγμα stigma, 'mark, spot, brand'), in Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, feet, near the heart, the head (from the crown of thorns), and back (from carrying the cross and scourging).[1]

St. Francis of Assisi is widely considered the first recorded stigmatic. For over fifty years, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin reported stigmata which were studied by several 20th-century physicians. Stigmatics are primarily a Roman Catholic phenomenon; the Eastern Orthodox Church professes no official view on them.[2]

A high percentage (probably over 80%) of all stigmatics are women.[3] In his book Stigmata: A Medieval Phenomenon in a Modern Age, Ted Harrison suggests that there is no single mechanism whereby the marks of stigmata were produced. What is important is that the marks are recognised by others as of religious significance.[4] Most cases of stigmata have been result of trickery.[5][6] Some cases have also included reportings of a mysterious chalice in visions being given to stigmatics to drink from or the feeling of a sharp sword being driven into one's chest.[7]

  1. ^ "Stigmata (Christian Mysticism)". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  2. ^ "Manifestations – Questions & Answers". oca.org.
  3. ^ Carroll, Michael P. (1989). Catholic Cults and Devotions: A Psychological Inquiry. McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 80–84. ISBN 0-7735-0693-4
  4. ^ Harrison, Ted (1994). Stigmata: A Medieval Phenomenon in a Modern Age. St Martins Press. ISBN 978-0-312-11372-8.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carroll 2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nickell 2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Johann Joseph von Görres (1883). The stigmata, tr. from 'The Mystik', ed. by H. Austin.

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