Antique cilice from the end of the 19th or early 20th century.
From a monastery in the north of France according to the person I bought it from. He had a collection and I bought several.
This listing is for the long one in the first photograph. The second short cilice is sold separately.
 
Cilices were designed to provoke pain or discomfort with their metal spikes against the flesh. They were normally used a couple of hours a day with a few exceptions. These tools of physical mortification helped to repent for sins, renounce temptation and feel closer to Christ.
 
This one seems to be the right size to go around a women's thigh. 
 
Closes with a metal hook and a loop. The black loop was attached with black thread and two more loops were added to make the whole cilice a bit longer. The loops are more recent.
 
The length laid flat including the two loops and hook is 47 cm / 18.5 inches.
The three loops are 6 cm / 2.36 inches long. 
Width is approx. 5 cm / 1.96 inches at the widest part.
 
The shapes are irregular and the metal has rusted in places as seen in the photographs.
The pictures are part of the description.
 
Import duties and taxes are the buyer's responsibility.
 
Thanks for visiting Cabinet de Merveilles!
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DELIVERIES

- Everything is sent with a tracking number. We post everything within 3 working days. Everything is packaged safely with sometimes recycled material.
- If a parcel arrives damaged, it is the buyer's responsibility to file a complaint immediately with the delivery service. Any insurance is void unless this is done at delivery time.
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RETURNS AND REFUNDS

- If there is anything you are unsure about or if you need further information about an item to re-assure you please ask before buying. We aim to provide as much information as possible and make our listings as accurate as we can.

- Refunds are only for the item price and not for shipping costs and will be issued when we get the item back. Re-importing costs will be deducted.

- If a returned items is received damaged the loss in value will be deducted.