Stigmata of Francis of Assisi

Francis of Assisi (c. 1181–1226) is the first person in recorded history for whom stigmata are historically claimed. The event occurred at the hermitage of La Verna during a forty-day Lenten fast from the Assumption to the feast of the Archangel Michael, culminating around September 14, 1224 — the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Historical Sources

Thomas of Celano, commissioned by Pope Gregory IX, wrote the Vita Prima in 1229 — three years after Francis's death. He describes a seraph-like vision and the subsequent appearance of wounds. Bonaventure wrote his Major Life in 1263 and, in a decision that remains controversial among historians, ordered all earlier Franciscan accounts destroyed. This removes the possibility of checking Thomas of Celano against other near-contemporary sources.

The Wounds

The wounds are described as including raised flesh on the palms resembling the head of a nail, with the bent nail-tip visible on the back of each hand — a description found consistently across the Franciscan sources. Brothers present at his death reportedly confirmed the marks.

Natural Explanations

A 2018 dermatological review in the International Journal of Dermatology (Kechichian et al.) outlines several psychosomatic mechanisms relevant to stigmata cases generally: psychogenic purpura (stress-induced subdermal bleeding), hematidrosis (bleeding from sweat glands under extreme stress), and autosuggestion effects mediated through the autonomic nervous system. Whether these mechanisms can produce raised flesh formations of the type described for Francis is disputed. The destruction of early competing texts by Bonaventure means that dispute cannot be resolved.