What was the yellow garment worn by condemned heretics called?

The yellow penitential garment worn by condemned heretics was called a sambenito.

A sambenito was a distinctive penitential garment used especially by the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. It resembled a scapular or tunic and publicly marked a person undergoing punishment or penance for religious offenses.

The garment was commonly yellow and could bear red crosses, including Saint Andrew’s crosses. Different designs communicated the severity of the sentence: some garments represented penance, while darker versions decorated with flames, devils, or other imagery indicated that the wearer had been condemned as an impenitent heretic.

The sambenito was worn during public ceremonies such as an auto-da-fé. In some places, garments were later displayed in churches as lasting reminders of the wearer’s disgrace. The term could also refer to lists or records of people punished by the Inquisition, extending the garment’s stigma to their families and descendants.