The semiotics of the stigmatized body and its representation

The wounds of stigmatised people elicit conflicting responses. Stigmatization provides empirical evidence to both believers and sceptics; however, the interesting question about stigmatization does not con- cern their authenticity. As Carolyn Muessig writes, research should focus rather on the mixture of meanings that stigmatization communicates to individuals and communities. In a semiotic perspective, visual representations of Padre Pio (photographs, paintings, mosaics, drawings, and so on) constitute a modal device directed at viewers, acting on their point of view and modifying their relationship to the sacred meaning.