In Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code, one of the antagonists, an albino numerary named Silas associated with the religious organization Opus Dei, wears a cilice in the form of a spiked belt around his thigh.

Among other items, Cilice.co.uk offers a range of cilice belts, from traditional full length and half length chains produced by Italian nuns, to specialist belts crafted by our own blacksmith from various metals of different gauge and weight.

Sep 3, 2010 · Each night she fastens a wire chain, known as a cilice, around her upper thigh. The device has sharp prongs that dig into the skin and flesh, though generally it does not draw blood.

The cilice is a chain or strap with small spikes in it. Numeraries and associates wear it around their thigh for 2 hours a day. It has also been described as a wire mesh, with the ends of the wires pointing inward. Sometimes the points are filed down. The discipline is a cord with knots in it.

Some of the celibate members of Opus Dei use the cilice. It's a small, light, metal chain with little prongs worn around the thigh. The cilice is uncomfortable--it's supposed to be--but it does not in any way hinder one's normal activities and there's absolutely no Da Vinci Code gore. And what about the disciplines? The same as the cilice.

Cilice, whip, chains, disciplines: tools used in religious practices for self-punishment, mortification, flogging, flagellation and purification. We offer a selection of rare and old instruments of penance.

Jan 6, 2024 · The cilice, used as a tool of penance, represents an ancestral ascetic practice adopted in various spiritual traditions. This thorny belt, worn around the body, embodies the renunciation of earthly pleasures and the search for inner purification.

Check out our cilice belt selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our belts shops.

Dec 31, 2024 · In more recent times the hairshirt was replaced by spiked metal belts or chains that were worn strapped tight around the bare upper thigh to produce intense pain, especially when sitting.

Jul 15, 2021 · Why do people wear a cilice belt? Turns out they are the remnants of a cilice, a spiked garter or belt-like device used in some religious traditions to induce discomfort or pain as a sign of repentance and atonement.