ABSTRACTStigmatization is a multilayered religious phenomenon with a complex history of interpretation. Nowadays there seems to be a common suspicion towards the stigmata. This mistrust is founded upon nineteenth-century stereotypes of stigmatics/mystics and a negative interpretation of the pain experience. This article will first unravel the different layers of interpretation and analyse the changes that caused this negative perspective. Second, this article will give an introduction into stigmatization theology. The phenomenon of stigmatization will be studied as a mystical event that (...) supports a spirituality that is founded upon the experiential knowledge of the love shared between God and man. This mystical theology of stigmatization can inspire and challenge the contemporary context and its presumptions. (shrink)