Five Holy Wounds

The Five Holy Wounds are an important part of Catholic tradition. They are the five injuries that Jesus Christ suffered when he was crucified. These wounds are remembered and honored by many people as a way to show their faith and love.

These holy wounds became especially important for devotion during the late Middle Ages. They have inspired many pieces of music and art in churches. People have created special prayers and practices to honor these wounds and think about Jesus's sacrifice.

The wounds

The five holy wounds are the injuries Jesus received during his crucifixion. They are the nail holes in both his hands, the nail holes in both his feet, and the wound in his side from a soldier’s spear.

Two wounds were in his hands or wrists where nails held him to the cross. The other two were in his feet where nails passed through to the vertical beam. The last wound was in his chest, made when a soldier used a spear to make sure he was dead. This event is described in the New Testament.

Medieval context

In the stories of Jesus' life, called the Christian gospels, Jesus was hurt in many ways before he died on the cross. During this time, called his Passion, he had wounds from a crown of thorns and from being hit with a stick. People in the Middle Ages especially remembered the five big wounds from when Jesus was nailed to the cross: the nails in his hands and feet, and a wound from a soldier's spear in his side.

During the 1100s and 1200s, famous religious leaders like Bernard of Clairvaux and Francis of Assisi inspired many people to think more about Jesus' suffering. When soldiers returned from places called the Holy Land, they also helped people remember Jesus' time on the cross. Many special prayers were made to honor these five wounds, and some of these prayers were said by well-known women like Clare of Assisi, Mechtilde, and Gertrude of Helfta. Some people even counted up all the hurts Jesus had and said many prayers each day to remember them.

There was a special church service called the Golden Mass for Jesus' wounds. When this service was held, five candles were lit. People believed that if someone attended this Mass for five days in a row, they would be safe from big troubles later. The Dominican Rosary, a special way of praying with beads, also helped people remember Jesus' five wounds. Some towns would ring a bell every Friday at noon to remind people to say prayers for these wounds.

Devotions

Chaplet of the Five Wounds of Jesus

In a book from 1761, Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, the founder of the Redemptorist Fathers, described a devotional exercise called the Little Chaplet of the Five Wounds of Jesus Crucified. This exercise is a meditation on the five wounds that Jesus suffered during his crucifixion.

Chaplet of the Five Wounds

The Chaplet of the Five Wounds is a special prayer form focused on Jesus' wounds, created by Paul Aloysius in 1821 in Rome. It was officially approved by Pope Leo XII in 1823 and again in 1851. This chaplet has 25 beads, divided into five groups. Each bead is used to say a Gloria Patri prayer, and at the end of each group, a Hail Mary is said in honor of Mary's sorrows. The blessing of these prayer beads is done by Passionist priests.

Chaplet of the Holy Wounds

The Chaplet of the Holy Wounds was introduced in the early 1900s by Sister Mary Martha Chambon, a Catholic nun in Chambéry, France. She reported visions that inspired this devotion. The chaplet is prayed using a standard rosary with five decades. It was approved for her order in 1912 and later authorized for the entire Catholic Church in 1999.

First Thursdays Devotion

The First Thursdays Devotion began with reports of apparitions in Balazar, Portugal, in the 20th century.

Sacred Heart

In a 2024 letter, Pope Francis noted that devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus grew from an ancient church spirituality that viewed Jesus' wounded side as a source of grace and a call to deep love. He affirmed that this devotion has always been a lasting part of Christian spirituality.

Symbolic use

In the past, kings and important groups used symbols to remind people of the Five Holy Wounds. For example, King Afonso I of Portugal put this symbol on his coat of arms. The Cross of Jerusalem, also called the "Crusaders' Cross," has five smaller crosses to remember these wounds. Many people who joined the Crusades wore this cross as a sign of their faith.

The shape called a pentagram was once used to represent the Five Holy Wounds before it became linked to other meanings. In an old English poem called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the hero’s shield had this symbol. Some churches mark their altars in five places to honor the Five Holy Wounds, and some Eastern Orthodox churches have five domes on their buildings as a reminder of them.

In sacred music

In the past, a special poem called Salve mundi salutare was often linked to famous writers, but today we think it was probably written by a monk named Arnulf of Leuven. This poem focuses on the suffering of Jesus during his crucifixion and has seven parts, each about a different part of his body.

Later, a musician named Dieterich Buxtehude created a musical piece called Membra Jesu Nostri using ideas from this poem. Another famous musician, Johann Sebastian Bach, also used parts of this poem in his well-known work "St Matthew Passion."

In art

In art, the story of Doubting Thomas, where Thomas touches Jesus' wounds to believe he has risen, has been popular since the 6th century. Early examples appear in mosaics at the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna.

Later, artists showed Jesus with his robe pulled back to display the wounds from his crucifixion. This became a common way to show Jesus alone, especially in scenes like the Last Judgement and Christ in Majesty. The art helps us remember Jesus' suffering and his resurrection.