The Flagellation of Christ, also known as the Scourging at the Pillar or Christ at the Column, refers to the episode in the Passion of Jesus when he was flogged by Roman soldiers before his crucifixion. This event is described in three of the four canonical Gospels: John 19, Mark 15, and Matthew 27. The Gospel of John states simply, “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged” (NIV). Unlike the mocking and crowning with thorns, which were not standard Roman judicial procedures, flogging was a common prelude to crucifixion under Roman law.
Luke’s account (Luke 22–65) describes a different scene where the guards of the High Priest beat and mock Jesus, rather than Roman soldiers. The flagellation is commemorated during Holy Week in the Christian liturgical calendar and is the second Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary and the sixth station of John Paul II’s Scriptural Way of the Cross.
Depiction in Art
The flagellation has been a recurring subject in Christian art, especially in cycles depicting the Life of Christ or the Passion of Jesus. It first appeared in Western art in the 9th century and is rare in Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Early depictions often show Christ naked or in a long robe, but by the 12th century, it became standard for him to wear a loincloth (perizoma) and face the viewer, creating a compositional challenge for artists to depict lashes on his back while showing his face.
The scene typically includes Christ tied to a column, with two or more Roman soldiers wielding whips. Sometimes Pontius Pilate is shown observing, and in later medieval art, influenced by Passion plays, the number of tormentors increases and they are often depicted as grotesque mercenaries. The Franciscans, who promoted self-flagellation as a form of spiritual discipline, helped popularize the image in processional crosses.
Notable Artistic Interpretations
Two of the most famous artistic depictions are by Piero della Francesca and Caravaggio.
- Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Christ (c. 1455–1460), housed in Urbino, Italy, is a small but profoundly influential panel painting. It is renowned for its masterful use of linear perspective, geometric harmony, and enigmatic composition. The flagellation occurs in the background, while three unidentified men in contemporary 15th-century dress stand in the foreground, seemingly indifferent. Art historians have long debated the painting’s meaning, with theories ranging from a political allegory related to the fall of Constantinople to a memorial for Duke Oddantonio da Montefeltro, assassinated in 1444. Kenneth Clark called it “the greatest small painting in the world.”
- Caravaggio’s The Flagellation of Christ (1607), located in the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, is a dramatic Baroque interpretation. It captures the moment with intense realism and chiaroscuro, showing Christ illuminated by a shaft of light while three shadowy figures prepare to lash him. Caravaggio painted this during his exile in Naples after killing a man in Rome. The work reflects the violence and emotional intensity characteristic of his mature style.
Relics and Cultural Impact
Various Christian sites claim to possess the Column of the Flagellation, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Santa Prassede in Rome, and St. George’s Cathedral in Istanbul. The Basilica di Santa Prassede asserts it holds the original pillar to which Christ was bound.
The theme has also appeared in modern culture, such as in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004), where the flagellation is a central, graphic scene. It is also referenced in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange and the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar. Additionally, the practice of self-flagellation exists in some Christian and Islamic traditions as a form of penance and identification with Christ’s suffering.
