ABSTRACT
During infamous cases of demonic possession that took place in convents at Loudun (1632–1637), Louviers (1643–1647), and Auxonne (1658–1663), demons engraved figurative and epigraphic signs on the skin of possessed nuns. This chapter demonstrates that the novel replacement of demons’ normally transient “signs of departure” by more permanent corporeal marks relied on accepted notions of female impressionability, the theorization of the devil’s mark, and the rising incidence of stigmatic phenomena. Furthermore, it shows that while the nuns’ signed skin served purposes of Catholic propaganda, their wounds must also be understood in the context of female devotional practice, allowing demoniacs to forge new identities for themselves as dévotes.
