A closer look
Saint Francis of Assisi is widely credited as the first person in Christian history to exhibit the stigmata, a mystical phenomenon where an intensely devoted person spontaneously develops bleeding wounds matching the crucifixion of Jesus. Over the centuries, hundreds of overly enthusiastic mystics have claimed to possess these holy wounds, though many were later caught rubbing carbolic acid into their hands or secretly cutting themselves with shards of glass. The Catholic Church has historically been incredibly annoyed by this trend, constantly sending skeptical doctors to figure out if a local nun is actually blessed or just desperately seeking attention. It is fascinating that the ultimate medieval flex for a religious person was literally just bleeding on the floor until the Pope had to officially ask you to stop
