Stigmata Bashny.Net

The hands and feet of the Savior were pierced with nails. Put on the head crown of thorns scratched his forehead and scalp. And one of the Roman legionaries struck him with a spear in the chest, leaving a deep wound ...





... For more than 750 years, some Christians appear stigmata - signs of Christ's sufferings. They may take the form of bloody wounds (stigma - in Greek "prick", "wound") on the palms - as if they hammered nails, sometimes the same wounds appear on the feet. Some carriers have the stigmata wounds on his forehead resembling jabs and scratches from the crown of thorns, the other - the bloody streaks on the back, traces of flagellation.

It is believed that the first carrier of the stigmata was St. Francis of Assisi. Stigmata it appeared in 1224, during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Legend states that St. Francis had a vision an angel that the five rays of light excised the stigmata on the hands and feet of the ascetic.


There are, however, claim that the first evidence of stigmata refers to much earlier times - to the first years of Christianity. In one of the epistles of Paul the Apostle says that Paul "after the crucifixion of Christ, found the wound, like Jesus." Paul's words can be interpreted as literally, in the sense of gaining their stigmata and metaphorically. However, this is the only evidence of the first centuries of Christianity - then about a thousand years of the appearance of stigmata, nothing was heard.

There are several theories about why the stigmata began to appear only at the beginning of this millennium. The first of these relates to the appearance of stigmata escalated in XI-XII centuries theological disputes. After registration of the schism in 1054 in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, Catholics proclaimed the so-called "doctrine of the Resurrection." Theological reflection focused on the development of the ideas of the human nature of Jesus Christ. Established a new religious festival of Corpus Christi (Corp Christi) - in remembrance of the earth, physical life of the Savior, from the Nativity to the crucifixion. It was at this time and are the first information about the appearance of stigmata.


Another theory explains the spread of stigma general tension and expressive religious art of the time. In vogue naturalistic, full of bloody scenes images of Christ's Passion, a very impressive and exciting feelings of believers. Eschё one hypothesis suggests that laypeople, especially women, feel excluded from the sacrament of implementation of bread and wine into the body of the blood of Christ. This resentment was aggravated by the general opinion of the corruption of the church. The appearance of stigmata strengthened the laity in the view that Christ himself tending his flock, giving believers direct contact with the body of Christ.

French physician Amber Hurbo in the XIX century described the 300 cases stigmatism, based on historical records and contemporary known, but most of his messages declared invalid today. He was a fanatical Catholic and created his work as an enthusiast, without a critical approach. By today's experts, over the past 800 years can be called with respect to 406 confirmed cases stigmatism. Most carriers stigmata were Catholics (68 percent), the rest - the members of the various religious sects.


If earlier the stigmata appeared mainly on the inhabitants of the Mediterranean countries, mainly Italy, today the stigmata among carriers have Japanese, Koreans, at least four Americans, an Argentine, a Canadian.

Thousands of people believe that the stigmata - the gift of God. There is another opinion - one of the theosophical school believes that the stigmata - the sign of Satan. In the Catholic Church there during that proclaims the Holy Father Pio - Italian priest, the media stigma. Since it involves a lot of supernatural events, including many stories about the abilities of Padre Pio to dowsing, the instantaneous movement of thousands of kilometers from one point to another planet. The cases of miraculous healings worked by father Pio, according to its adherents suggest it God's chosen one.

Official Vatican is very wary of the facts of the appearance of stigmata. Standard procedure requires that it took some time - sometimes up to 100 years - since the death of stigmatic, the church was able to canonize him. Priests and medical experts appointed by the Vatican, carefully study each case the appearance of stigmata, taking into account all the details of the "pros" and "cons". The Church recognizes that the stigmata may appear in public, and have a wonderful and inexplicable nature, but in most cases, according to religious experts, the source of the appearance of stigmata should seek psychiatrists: stigma, many carriers have strong signs of hysteria. In some cases, stigmatics noted the presence of various clinical syndromes, the propensity to self-torture, extremely low self-esteem, bordering on self-loathing. A separate group of carriers stigmata are those who explain the origin of his injuries contact with aliens. One of the most famous today stigmatics, Italian Giorgio Bondzhovanni, in his stories presents the audience with a strange mixture of Catholicism ufology and explains the origin of the stigmata on himself meeting with aliens.


It's easy to assume that the person with unstable psyche themselves cause injuries, but stigmatism is actually a more complex phenomenon. The fact that most stigmatics not remember when and under what circumstances they were wounds on the body. And there is ample evidence that the stigmata, as they do not treat, and again appear on the body of the carrier and in the same places. Several experiments conducted by Dr. Marco Marnelli (Italy) with the bearer of stigmata Lo Bianco showed that healed the stigmata able to repeatedly appear on her hands again, and each time the stigmata began to appear on her body, Lo Bianco fell into a trance and saw the state of the rosary and the cross. Already mentioned Padre Pio seen in a trance himself. American Ethel Chapman got stigmata in traces of the nails in his hands, while in the hospital, where the unconscious scene saw his own crucifixion.

The state of trance, which fall stigmatics allowed supporters of rational thinking for the suggestion that the stigmata (if it is not a case of intentional autotravmatizma) have psychosomatic nature. But among ordinary believers to the media stigma persists attitude as God's chosen ones. To this are added the many stories about the ability of some stigmatics to levitate from the stigmata wounds of other carriers allegedly emanates a wonderful aroma, and so on. D. As a rule, these cases are quite understandable nature.

Both secular and religious experts believe that clearly relate to the phenomenon can not be stigmatism. Most of stigmata have ... absolutely ordinary origins, but many cases of stigmatism really can not be explained rationally. This is a very complex phenomenon, which are intertwined and physical and psychosomatic and supernatural causes. Perhaps this phenomenon will ever be explained. And as long as people believe in miracles ...