PENITENTS, an appellation given to certain fraternities of penitents distinguished by the different shape and colour of their habits. These are secular societies, who have their rules, statutes, and churches, and make public processions under their particular crosses or banners. Of these there are more than a hundred, the most considerable of which are as follow: the white penitents, of which there are several different sorts at Rome, the most ancient of which was constituted in 1264; the brethren of this fraternity every year give portions to a certain number of young girls, in order to their being married: their habit is a kind of white sackcloth, and on the shoulder is a circle, in the middle of which is a red and white cross. Black penitents, the most considerable of which are the brethren of mercy, instituted in 1488 by some Florentines, in order to assist criminals during their imprisonment, and at the time of their death: on the day of execution, they walk in procession before them, singing the seven penitential psalms and the litanies; and after they are dead, they take them down from the gibbet and bury them; their habit is black sackcloth. There are others whose business it is to bury such persons as are found dead in the streets: these wear a death's head on one side of their habit. There are also blue, gray, red, green, and violet penitents; all of whom are remarkable for little else besides the different colours of their habits.
Mabilon tells us, that at Turin there are a set of penitents kept in pay to walk through the streets in procession, and cut their shoulders with whips, &c.