The Bianchis, so named because of their white robes, were men, women, or children, leaving for nine days of pious processions, they could practice self-flagellation as a form of penance that mortified the body, demonstrated sorrow for sin, and joined one with Christ in his Passion. It is a movement of religious and popular devotion, mainly practiced in Italy, from the Alps to Rome. The groups were mostly uniting around 200 to 300 people moving from town to town. These groups could sometimes concern more than a thousand people (Black Death Facts, 2020).
During these nine days, they engaged in a variety of devotional practices: they visited churches and heard mass, listened to sermons, recited prayers, sang hymns, observed dietary restrictions, and called for peace and mercy. (Bornstein, n.d.) Practices could be done rather publicly or in private. Nine days were initially necessary to see off the threat of plague, but later the number of days changed, depending on the devotion and whether a procession was already occurring in a specific location (Lee, 2017). An example of songs they could sing is Stabat Mater, a hymn to Mary who testifies to her suffering during the crucification of Jesus. They could also to the practice of self-flagellation. This practice was done hoping to get redemption of their sins and escape from the plague. They demonstrated their religious fervor and sought atonement for their sins by vigorously whipping themselves in public displays of penance, aiming to achieve ‘Imitato Christi’: imitating the Christ. This movement became even more practiced during the period of the Black Death, around 1399.
This unified people believing in the same thing: religion could save them from the catastrophe occurring around them for which they did not have a scientific explanation. The fact of uniting and devoting together, hoping to be saved from the Plague was also a way for people to feel a part of a community. It was a collective devotion, making them feel surrounded and understood: there was an idea of community. Finally, this was also a way to have the feeling to act against the pandemic. As they didn’t have the science to explain the disease, turning to God was one of the only ways to take action against the horror that was happening in Europe and around the world. They felt the need to do something, try to have an impact on their environment.
By October 1349, Pope Clement VI proclaimed that the Flagellants were not following the rules of the Church (source). Local Church and secular leaders began to condemn them and/or forbid them from entry into their territories or cities (Euroform Healthcare, 2020). This didn’t stop the movement that continued to occur importantly in the 15th century and is still partly occurring today in times of crisis.
Black Death Facts. 2020. Flagellants • Black Death Facts. [online] Available at: <https://blackdeathfacts.com/flagellants/>
Bornstein, D., n.d. The Bianchi of 1399: Popular Devotion in Late Medieval Italy. Cambridge University Press.
Euroform Healthcare. 2020. The Flagellants – Bubonic Plague – Euroform Healthcare. [online] Available at: <https://www.euroformhealthcare.biz/bubonic-plague/the-flagellants.html>
Lee, A., 2017. Localising Collective Devotion: The Bianchi of 1399 at Lucca and Pistoia. London: UCL, pp.77-154.