Since celibacy is the most fundamental and controversial aspect of Catholicism, it is not surprising that the Catholic class would scoff at the possibility of a female pope. After all, you wouldn't want a woman to seduce a single man. Nevertheless, the legend of The Female Pope Joan has been circulating in the church for centuries.
Although Joan of Arc was generally considered an unconfirmed legend in the ninth century, the analysis used to exclude her existence would also exclude much of the papal history. There are many accounts of the existence of female popes, and for hundreds of years, in the cathedral of Siena, there was indeed a statue in honor of Pope Joan. Ultimately, though, the Vatican dismissed the possibility of a female pope as pure folklore, but scholars debated her existence until the 20th century. Pope Joan continues to attract historians and curious history buffs and has been the subject of many theatrical productions, including two high-profile films. Read on and you'll find more interesting facts about the legend of Pope Joan.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > Pope Joan is likely to pretend to be a man in order to get an education</h1>
Several ancient historians have written about Pope Joan's origins and her biography. None of these descriptions are completely consistent, but they have some commonalities in describing a woman who eventually becomes pope.
Most notably, historians point out that in the early to mid-9th century, women were generally not allowed to study, or even leave their homes. However, during this period, a young woman named Johanna is said to have entered a monastery in Mainz, Germany, disguised as a man. Here, she learned greek, Latin and other aspects of classical education. It is said that she later fell in love with a fellow practitioner and followed him to Athens and eventually to Rome.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > she rose rapidly in the church because of her cleverness and ambition</h1>
Historical evidence suggests that as soon as she arrived in Rome, Pope Joan quickly rose to prominence in the church. Martin Polunus was a monk who wrote a major work on the period, titled The History of The Kings and Popes of the Ages, and he claimed that Pope Joan was originally called "John Anglicus," or Joan of England. Because of her education and ambition, she entered the management of the Catholic Church, first as secretary to the Cardinal, then as a cardinal, and finally as pope in 855 AD.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="8" > her secret is said to have been discovered during a procession on "Escape Street."</h1>
Pope Joan was officially appointed Pope, and she is said to have served as pope for more than two years before her secrets came to light. As is customary, during a procession held at St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Joan reached a location between the Colosseum and the Church of San Clemente, a road known as the "Holy Way". During her tenure, she became pregnant from an affair with a companion, and she suddenly felt a pain, fainted, and subsequently gave birth to her child in the middle of the street.
Depending on the source, what happens next is different. Some recorders believe that her death was the result of this catastrophe, some believe she was transferred to a monastery, and others believe that she was stoned to death on the spot by angry thugs because they were provoked by her duplicity. Most sources say her son eventually became a bishop. There is also some anecdotal evidence for the story: some claim that the pope has historically avoided this place known as the "Escape Street" when marching nearby.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="11" > Pope Joan may be the reason for the holed papal chair</h1>
For centuries, there were rumors that the future pope would have to sit on an ornately decorated marble chair with a hole in the chair, much like a toilet. The chair is called the "sedes stercoraria (pope's potty chair)", and in 1471 Bartolomeo Plalinie, director of the Vatican Library, described its use:
＂... When the Pope first ascended to the throne... Their genitals were touched by the most junior deacons present. ”
Although the Church denies that this practice ever existed, it is clear that this step in the papal election process will ensure that intruders like Pope Joan will never ascend to the papal throne. But now any chair like this has been removed from public view and is believed to be hidden in the Vatican Museums.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="15" > the name of a real-life pope, suggesting Joan's existence</h1>
After the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Pope John XXIII succeeded him. At the time, there was some controversy about what number John would choose: twenty-two or twenty-three. However, he eventually chose the latter, and no one explained his choice since.
Scholars say the mix is related to a mysterious Pope XX who does not appear on the Vatican's official papal list. Some have speculated that the omission was actually an attempt to remove Pope Joan from the pope's list. Although the dates don't exactly coincide, it's an interesting fact that a pope named "Joan" is indeed missing.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="18" > a portrait of Pope Joan appears in a book by Boccaccio</h1>
In 1362, the Florentine Renaissance writer Boccaccio wrote a manuscript called The Famous Woman, a collection of myths and real-life biographies about outstanding women. In total, there are 106 short archives. Number 101 on the list is "Joan, an English woman and pope." ”
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="21" > the existence of Pope Joan, has been accepted for centuries</h1>
In martin of opava's Chronicon Pontificum and Imperatorum (Chronicon Pontificum and Imperatorum) of the 13th century, Pope Joan is indeed discussed, and her presence seems to be widely accepted. In 1479, the Vatican scholar Bartolomeo Platina wrote in his Biography of the Pope:
Later, Platina's work was officially approved by Pope Sixtus IV.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="25" pope Joan is dramatized in modern fiction and film ></h1>
The legend of Pope Joan has fascinated contemporary writers and playwrights. The most famous novel on the subject is Donna Woolfcross wrote in 1997 titled Pope Joan. The novel was eventually adapted into the 2009 film Pope Joan, a European film starring Johanna Wakalek and John Goodman.
The 1972 film starring Liv Ullmann, Olivia de Haveran and Franco Nero also tells the story of the female pope.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="28" > her statue was modified in Siena Cathedral</h1>
In the late 14th century, the cathedral of Siena, Italy, built many busts of former popes. Among them was a pope who was apparently female, with the inscription "John VIII, Anglia VIII, Foemina de Anglia.". The statue, located between Leo IV and Benedict III, places her exactly in the period of rumored reign.
The statue will remain in existence until the 17th century until Pope Clement VIII ordered its removal. But church officials in Siena did not heed the order, but polished and remodeled the statue, turning it into the 8th-century Pope of Zecharias.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="31" > scholars wrote about the existence of Pope Joan at the latest in the 20th century</h1>
It wasn't until 1999 that a writer named Peter Stanford wrote about Pope Joan and tried to prove her existence. His book, The Legend of Pope Joan: In Search of The Truth, argues that Pope Joan did exist, but her rule was erased due to concerns about the church's reluctance to accept female members of the Catholic clergy.
In 2001, Alain Boreau discussed the mythical status of Pope Joan in his book The Myth of Pope Joan. He insisted that she was a legend perpetuated by Protestants during the Reformation without any substantial evidence of her existence.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="34" > officially said pope Joan never existed</h1>
Although the fascination with the existence of a female pope persists, most scholars agree that Pope Joan is just folklore. There is no contemporary source claiming a female pope whose term was occupied by other fully documented popes. The Catholic Encyclopedia focuses on Pope Joan:
"Between Leo IV and Benedict III, Martinos Polonus placed her here, but she could not actually be inserted, since Leo IV died on July 17, 855, and immediately after his death, Benedict III was elected by the clergy and people of Rome... All these witnesses, attesting to the correct time of life of Leo IV and Benedict III, there is no gap between these two popes, so there is no place here for the so-called Pope Joan. ”
While it is possible that there may be a female pope, it is most likely that Pope Joan was actually a figment of feminist or anti-Catholicism.