A Christian procession carrying a canopy and a statue of the Virgin Mary through a town, including flagellants. Etching by P. Tanje, 1743.

Flagellants: group of religious people during the 13th century who proclaimed the imminence of the wrath of God against corruption and, as a religious rite, practiced public, self-inflicted scourgings. The sect arose in Perugia in 1259 and is said to have numbered 10.000. The members would run through the streets of a town, lashing themselves about the shoulders, calling upon bystanders to join them. The outbreak of the Black Death, from 1347-1349, encouraged an intensified revival of the movement. A revival of the movement in Germany in the 15th century culminated in the condemnation of the sect by the Council of Constance (1414-1418)