Stigmata

Stigmata (plural of stigma) are wounds that were, according to the Bible, inflicted on Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.

• Wounds in hands or wrists, caused by nails
• Wounds in feet, caused by nails (not explicitly mentioned in any canonical gospel)
• Wounds caused by a Crown of Thorns
• Wounds caused by whip lashings or scourging on the back,
• Wounds caused by the Spear of Destiny in the side, this is often fatal.

Throughout history, several people were said to be Stigmatics, showing wounds for no apparent reason other than their strong belief in Christianity, with Saint Francis of Assisi being the first of them. Today, at least some of them are known to have faked the wounds, like Magdalena de la Cruz (1487-1560), who admitted the fraud. It is unknown (and a matter of faith) if stigmata actually exist.

Similar self-infliction of wounds can be caused by certain brain disorders. Some people who fake stigmata suffer from Munchausen Syndrome which causes an intense desire for attention. People with Munchausen hurt themselves or fake an illness hoping to end up in a hospital where they can enjoy attention and care. People also fake stigmata knowing that some who had stigmata were declared holy by the pope. In this way they try to gain a declaration of holiness too.

Self inflicted stigmata wounds heal naturally, but believers say true stigmata is caused by a mental soul and can only be healed by the mental soul, not by the body or a doctor.

The stigmata theme has been used in several movies, as in "Stigmata" (1999) starring Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne.

Other meanings of the word include:

• A mark of disgrace (refer to singular stigma; hence stigmatize, generally used metaphorically)
• A scar or birthmark
• In biology, a mark or pore, like the respiratory opening of an insect or eyespots in certain algae
• A brandmark