noun
- people who whip themselves as a form of religious penance or discipline
Usage: historical; religious
Examples
- Medieval flagellants believed that self-punishment would bring them closer to God.
- The flagellants formed processions through European towns during the Black Death.
- Historical records describe groups of flagellants seeking divine forgiveness through physical penance.
- Some religious sects included flagellants who practiced extreme forms of self-discipline.
- The church eventually condemned the practices of certain flagellant movements.
- Art from the Middle Ages often depicted flagellants in religious scenes.