The heart-piercing cry makes even the executors wince. The executioners pull on the ropes in such a way that the victim’s pelvis unfurls, and lowering him down, the body flounders in the air atop the sharp point of a four-sided pyramid. Perhaps it from fear of torture, or from the humiliation that comes with the limitation of his physical capabilities. The man erupts upward toward the ceiling, screaming. Thanks to a system of suspended blocks this doesn’t demand a lot of force, and they are able to reposition their victim’s bodies much like experienced puppeteers working with marionettes.
The executioners, donned in gloves, take the free ends of the rope into their hands and begin pulling them. The arms and legs of the defendant are held in loops of rope. How does one reveal a conspiracy? In this particular case, an investigator relies on the help of the Cradle of Judas. That is why in the name itself we have mark of the famous traitor – Judas.Īn interesting fact: Among other instruments of torture that were invented in the Middle Ages, the “Cradle of Judas” was considered humane and was originally only intended to disturb sleep.Ĭan you believe there are actually people out there who wouldn’t turn in their accomplices, even for a large sum of money? Let’s say there are. Thus were the sins of the heretics and their associates were sought out. And so this might play out as such for several days, also due to the fact that the edges are not clean, serves as a constant cause of death from infection. Often times, the feet are tied to additional weights, something not very welcoming. Come the morning, the interrogation will begin anew with vigor. The torture is extended through the night, leaving the suspended person to bleed to death. The form of the device is carefully designed so that the most painful suffering is delivered to the victim from the braces. The torturers used the natural force of gravity to affect the most sensitive area of the human body – the perineum region. With the aid of rope and gears, the one accused was hung naked and slowly lowered directly onto the surface of the point. Ippolito Marsilli designed and built this torture instrument.Ī device is a heavy wooden pyramid that rises up on all fours, like a chair. The Cradle of Judas – one of the most sophisticated of the Spanish Inquisition’s inventions, it was created to deal with heretics.