Stigmata is one of the world's greatest religious
mysteries along with angels and
possession, but unlike the others, is
seen as a result of holding deep rooted religious beliefs.
Stigmata is the phrase to describe the wounds inflicted
on Christ at the time of arrest, trial and execution - this time is usually
called The Passion.
Traditional beliefs states that Christ was attached to
the cross by nails through the palm of his hands and through his feet.
Stigmata has also been to appear on holes within the forehead made from the
crown of thorns and it can also appear as a dislocated shoulder representing
the burden of Christ carrying his own cross.
Stigmata differs from normal flesh wounds as they usually
stay open for long periods of time and appear to resist any accepted medical
practice to heal them. Usually open wounds become septic and often succumb
to disease, when genuine stigmata occurs, there is no sign of infection or
inflammation and clean arterial blood flows from the wounds.
The wounds come and go spontaneously and often appear on
regular intervals, on most cases on Fridays. This usually heightens during
religious festivals such as Lent and Easter.
The first documented stigmatic was St Francis of Assisi
(1182 - 1226), the founder of the Franciscan order of monks. One Holy Cross
Day, St Francis was praying devoutly in Mount Alvernia (in Italy's Apennine
mountain range) comptemplating the suffering Christ endured during The
Passion. He then saw a seraph - a member of the highest order of
angels, often depicted as the winged head of a
child - descending from Heaven. St Francis then fell to the ground in the
face of this messenger from God.
When St Francis subsequently rose, calling for help, from
the ground in front of the angel the stigmata had
appeared. Thomas Celano described the appearance of the wounds in biography
of St Francis written in 1226:
"His hands and feet seemed pierced in the midst by nails,
the head of nails appearing in the inner part of the hands and in the inner
part of the feet... Moreover his right side, as if it had been pierced by a
lance, was overlaid with a scar, and often shed forth blood so that his
tunic and drawers were sprinkled with sacred blood."
The subsequent wounds also caused St Francis difficulty
in walking. When he died mourners passed the body so that they could see
inside the wounds.
In 1894 Dr Imbert-Gourbeye compiled the first expansive
list of stigmatics. He covered 321 cases, 41 of these were men and of these
41 one was fully stigmatic. The others showed signs of affliction but they
did carry all the marks. Others did not bleed regularly so could not be
authenticated.
Stigmatics continued to survive well into the 20th
Century, one of the famous examples of this is the case of Padre Pio.
Padre Pio (full name Padre Pio de Pietrelcina) was an
Italian friar who lived from 1887 until 1968. He spent most of his life at
the Capuchin monastery of San Giovanni Rotonda Fogga, following a childhood
plagued by ill and excessive religious self-denial.
On September 20th 1915, during the anniversary week of St
Francis of Assis's stigmatisation, Padre Pio was visiting his parents when
he developed stinging pains in his hands after an intense prayer session.
Exactly three years later the Padre was contemplating the
Passion whilst looking at a statue of the crucifixion in the monastery when
his hands, feet and left side gained stigmata. This process was so painful
that he screamed in agony. This event would go on to change Pare Pio's life
forever.
Every Friday following this event the Padre's feet and
hands bled, gradually disappearing as the week progressed. On September 23rd
1968 Padre Pio's stigmata disappeared - he died later on that day.
Many stigmatics have been associated with miracles and
Padre Pio is no exemption. Extraordinary healing powers have been attributed
to him. When these events occurred a mysterious scent filled the air -
possibly the odour of sanctity? It has been noted that this smell filled the
air during his Padre Pio's own Requiem mass.
The stigmatic complex usually occurs during deep
meditation when the individual experiences Christ's Passion. This
trance-like state has often been linked to hysteria. Hysteria symptoms often
appear in individuals during times of great stress or inner turmoil. This
does not, however, resolve the mechanics of this strange phenomenon.
Stigmata has continued to confuse and inspire individuals
all around the world. This strange phenomenon has not only inspired the
classic plot of 'Cathedral' but also the
acclaimed 'X-Files' episode 'Revelations'.
