The Papess, a Marseilles tarot card of the 18th century, which depicts a female Pope.

Pope Joan is the name of a female pope who supposedly reigned for less than two years in the 850s,^[1] based on a legend that circulated in the Middle Ages.^{[citation needed]} Pope Joan is regarded by most modern historians and religion scholars as fictitious, possibly originating as an anti-papal satire, but her existence is still debated. Image File history File links The Tarot de Marseille: II La Papesse. ... This article is about the structure, card imagery, and history of tarot decks, which today are often used for spiritual, esoteric, psychological, occult and/or divinatory purposes. ... The hand mirror and comb of the Roman Goddess Venus is often used to represent the female sex. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ...

Deconstructing the legend

In 1587 Florimond de Raemond, a magistrate in the parlement de Bordeaux and an antiquary published his first deconstruction of the legend, Erreur populaire de Pape Jane, which he followed with expanded editions the following year and in 1594. The tract applied humanist techniques of textual criticism to the Pope Joan legend, with the broader intent of supplying sound historical principles to ecclesiastical history, and the legend began to come apart, detail by detail. Raemond's Erreur populaire went through fifteen editions, as late as 1691.^[2] Parlements (pronounced in French) in ancien régime France — contrary to what their name would suggest to the modern reader — were not democratic or political institutions, but law courts . ... An antiquarian is one concerned with antiquities or things of the past. ...

In 1601, Pope Clement VIII declared the legend of the female Pope to be untrue. The famous bust of her, inscribed Johannes VIII, femina ex Anglia, which had been carved for the series of papal figures in the Duomo of Siena about 1400 and was noted by travellers, was either destroyed or recarved and relabeled, replaced by a male figure, of Pope Zachary (Stanford 1999; J.N.D. Kelly, Oxford Dictionary of Popes). Events February 8 - Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, rebels against Elizabeth I of England - revolt is quickly crushed February 25 - Robert Devereux beheaded Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrives in China Bad harvest in Russia due to rainy summer Dutch troops drive Portuguese from Málaga Battle of Kinsale, Ireland Births... Clement VIII, born Ippolito Aldobrandini (Fano, Italy, February 24, 1536 – March 3, 1605 in Rome) was Pope from January 30, 1592 to March 3, 1605. ... Duomo di Siena is the medieval cathedral of Siena, Italy. ... Pope Zachary (in Greek : Zacharias), pope (741-752), from a Greek family of Calabria, appears to have been on intimate terms with Gregory III, whom he succeeded (November 741). ...

One legend says that Joan was the illegitimate daughter of a former Pope and had a vision from God that she should succeed her father and become Pope. Another legend says that a street in Italy is named after her and her body is buried beneath it. In some legends, Pope Joan is not murdered after being revealed as a woman. Instead she is deposed, lives the rest of her life in a convent and her son is made Bishop of Hostia. Here is a passage from a Berlin manuscript: The Bishop of Ostia was the ecclesiastical head of the Italian Catholic diocese of Ostia. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ...

“She was deposed for her incompetence, and taking up the religious habit, lived in penitence for such a long time that she saw her son made Bishop of Hostia [ Ostia, near Rome]. When, in her final days, she perceived her death approaching, she instructed that her burial should be in that place where she had given birth, which nevertheless her son would not permit. Having removed her body to Hostia, he buried her with honour in the Cathedral. On account of which, God has worked many miracles right up to the present day.” (Berlin Manuscript^{[citation needed]}) The Bishop of Ostia was the ecclesiastical head of the Italian Catholic diocese of Ostia. ...

Since the 14th century, the figure of Pope Joan has taken on a somewhat "Saintly" figure. There are stories of her figure appearing and performing miracles. Franceso Petrarch (1304-74) wrote in his Chronica de le Vite de Pontefici et Imperadori Romani that after Pope Joan had been revealed as a woman:

"...in Brescia it rained blood for three days and nights. In France there appeared marvellous locusts which had six wings and very powerful teeth. They flew miraculously through the air, and all drowned in the British Sea. The golden bodies were rejected by the waves of the sea and corrupted the air, so that a great many people died." (Francesco Petrarch Chronica de le Vite de Pontefici et Imperadori Romani).

In 1675 a book appeared in English entitled A Present for a Papist: or the Life and Death of Pope Joan, Plainly Proving Out of the Printed Copies, and Manscriptes of Popish Writers and Others, that a Woman called JOAN, was really POPE of ROME, and was there Deliver'd of a Bastard Son in the open Street as She went in Solemn Procession. The book describes among other stories, an account of the proported Pope Joan giving birth to a son in plain view of all those around, accompanied by a detailed engraving showing a rather surprised looking baby peeking out from under the pope's robes. The book was penned "By a LOVER of TRUTH, Denying Human Infallibility." According to the preface the author had been "many years since deceased" and was "highly prefered in the Church of Rome." Furthermore, the preface indicates that the book was first printed in 1602. From the c. ...

The legend was also propagated in Chris Kuzneski's, Sign of the Cross which repeats the legend that Pope Joan died giving birth on the Roman streets. The Sign of the Cross is performed mainly within Latin and Eastern Rite Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and Lutheranism. ...

Analysis

Most scholars dismiss Pope Joan as the medieval equivalent of an urban legend.^[3] The Oxford Dictionary of Popes ^[4] acknowledges that this legend was widely believed for centuries, even among Catholic circles, but declares that there is "no contemporary evidence for a female pope at any of the dates suggested for her reign," and goes on to say that "the known facts of the respective periods make it impossible to fit [a female pope] in." An urban legend or urban myth is a kind of modern folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them. ...

The legend of Pope Joan was initially discredited by David Blondel, a mid-17th century Protestant historian, who suggested that Pope Joan's tale may have originated in a satire against Pope John XI, who died in his early 20s. Blondel, through detailed analysis of the claims and suggested timings, argued that no such events could have happened. David Blondel (1591 - April 6, 1655) was a French Protestant clergyman. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... John XI (910?–936) was a pope from 931 to 936. ...

The Catholic Encyclopedia elaborates on the historical timeline problem: The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ...

“Between Leo IV and Benedict III, where Martinus Polonus places her, she cannot be inserted, because Leo IV died 17 July 855, and immediately after his death Benedict III was elected by the clergy and people of Rome; but owing to the setting up of an antipope, in the person of the deposed Cardinal Anastasius, he was not consecrated until 29 September. Coins exist which bear both the image of Benedict III and of Emperor Lothair, who died 28 September 855; therefore Benedict must have been recognized as pope before the last-mentioned date. On 7 October 855, Benedict III issued a charter for the Abbey of Corvey. Hincmar, Archbishop of Reims, informed Nicholas I that a messenger whom he had sent to Leo IV learned on his way of the death of this pope, and therefore handed his petition to Benedict III, who decided it (Hincmar, ep. xl in P.L., CXXXVI, 85). All these witnesses prove the correctness of the dates given in the lives of Leo IV and Benedict III, and there was no interregnum between these two popes, so that at this place there is no room for the alleged popess.”

It is also notable that enemies of the Papacy in the ninth century make no mention of a female Pope. For example, Photius I of Constantinople, who became patriarch in 858 and was deposed by Pope Nicholas I in 863, was understandably an enemy of the Pope. He vehemently asserted his own authority as patriarch over that of the Pope in Rome, and would certainly have made the most of any scandal of that time regarding the Papacy. But he never mentions the story once in any of his voluminous writings. Indeed, at one point he mentions "Leo and Benedict, successively great priests of the Roman Church".^[5] July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... Events Louis II succeeds Lothar as western emperor. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lothair (Latin Lotharius; German Lothar; French Lothaire) is a Germanic given name, derived from the older form Clotaire (Chlotharius). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Louis II succeeds Lothar as western emperor. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Louis II succeeds Lothar as western emperor. ... Reims (English traditionally Rheims) (pronounced in French) is a city of northern France, 144 km (89 miles) east-northeast of Paris. ... An interregnum is a period between monarchs, between popes of the Roman Catholic Church, emperors of Holy Roman Empire, polish kings (elective monarchy) or between consuls of the Roman Republic. ... Photius (b. ... For other senses, see Patriarch (disambiguation). ... Nicholas I,(Rome c. ...

No source describing a female pope exists from earlier than the mid-12th century, almost exactly four hundred years after the time when Pope Joan allegedly existed. It is hard to believe that an event like a Pope unexpectedly giving birth in public and being stoned to death would not be mentioned by any writers or historians at the time. The recent historian of the legend, Alain Boureau (Boureau 1988), finds that the origins of the story are to be found in the carnival and parody traditions of the twelfth century. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... The carnival is a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the carnival season. ... Parody of Back to the Future In contemporary usage, a parody is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ...

Rosemary and Darrell Pardoe, authors of The Female Pope: The Mystery of Pope Joan. The First Complete Documentation of the Facts behind the Legend, are theorizing that a more plausible timeframe would be 1086-1108, when there were a lot of antipopes, and the reign of the legitimate popes Victor III, Urban II and Paschal II was not always established in Rome, since this city was occupied by Emperor Henry IV, and later sacked by the Normans.^[6] For the book by Robert Rankin, see The Antipope. ... The Blessed Victor III, né Dauferius (b. ... Urban II, né Otho of Lagery (or Otto or Odo) (1042 - July 29, 1099), pope from 1088 to July 29, 1099, was born into nobility in France at Lagery (near Châtillon-sur-Marne) and was church educated. ... Paschal II, né Ranierius (d. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... An emperor is a (male) monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. ... HEINRIC·IMP[ERATOR], Emperor Henry Henry IV (November 11, 1050 – August 7, 1106) was King of Germany (Holy Roman Empire) from 1056 and Emperor from 1084, until his abdication in 1105. ... Norman conquests in red. ...

This is all in agreement with the earliest known version of the legend, by Jean de Mailly, as he places the story in the year 1099. De Mailly's story was also acknowledged by his companion Stephen of Bourbon.

It has been argued that manuscripts and historical records were tampered with in the seventeenth century, when Pope Clement VIII decreed that there had never been a Pope Joan. But this claim is highly unlikely. It would have required an immense effort to remove her name from all documents, in every library and monastery across Europe. Such a vast conspiracy would have been almost impossible to carry out. Protestants would have assuredly protected evidence in their possession that disparaged the papacy. Moreover, any such tampering would be easily detectable by modern scholars. Either passages would have to be physically erased from manuscripts - something that obviously leaves marks - or the manuscripts would have to be completely destroyed and replaced with forgeries. However, scholars can date manuscripts quite accurately on the basis of the materials used, handwriting styles, and so on. There was no mass destruction, forgery or alteration of manuscripts in the seventeenth century. On the contrary, all the evidence of tampering in relation to the Pope Joan story indicates that books from before the thirteenth century were altered to put her in, not leave her out. Clement VIII, born Ippolito Aldobrandini (Fano, Italy, February 24, 1536 – March 3, 1605 in Rome) was Pope from January 30, 1592 to March 3, 1605. ... A conspiracy theory attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events) as a secret, and often deceptive, plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ... A scholar is either a student or someone who has achieved a mastery of some academic discipline. ... Penmanship is the art of writing clearly and quickly. ...

Against the weight of historical evidence to the contrary, then, why has the Pope Joan story been so often believed, and so often revisited? Some, such as writer Philip Jenkins (The New Anti-Catholicism, 2005, ISBN 0-19-515480-0), have suggested that the periodic revival of what Jenkins calls this "anti-papal legend" has more to do with feminist and anti-Catholic wishful thinking than historical accuracy (pg. 89). Yet this assertion is undermined by the fact the legend reached its widest appeal during the Middle Ages. Feminism is a collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies largely motivated by or concerned with the liberation of women from subordination to men. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

At any rate, the controversy is likely to continue, especially in light of the recent attention given the story by the ABC television program Primetime Live ("On the Trail of Pope Joan," broadcast December 29, 2005). Primetimes logo Primetime is a general-interest American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live. ...

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ...

Related issues

The sedes stercoraria, the thrones with holes in it at St John Lateran's did indeed exist, and were used in the elevation of Pope Pascal II in 1099 (Boureau 1988). In fact, one is still in the Vatican Museums another at the Musée du Louvre. They do indeed have a hole in the seat. The reason for the hole is disputed, but as both the seats and their holes predated the Pope Joan story, and indeed Catholicism by centuries, they clearly have nothing to do with a need to check the sex of a pope. It has been speculated that they originally were Roman bidets or imperial birthing stools, which because of their age and imperial links were used in ceremonies by popes intent on highlighting their own imperial claims (as they did also with their Latin title, Pontifex Maximus). Paschal II, born Ranierius, (died January 21, 1118) was Pope from August 13, 1099 until his death. ... Entrance to the museum Staircase of the Vatican Museum The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) are the public art and sculpture museums in the Vatican City, which display works from the extensive collection of the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... A toilet (left) and a bidet (right). ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) In Ancient Rome, the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the collegium of the Pontifices, the most august position in Roman religion, open only to a patrician, until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post. ...

Alain Boureau (Boureau 1988:23) quotes the humanist Jacopo d'Angelo de Scarparia who visited Rome in 1406 for the enthronement of Gregory XII in which the pope sat briefly on two "pierced chairs" at the Lateran: "the vulgar tell the insane fable that he is touched to verify that he is indeed a man" a sign that this corollary of the Pope Joan legend was still current in the Roman street. Gregory XII, né Angelo Correr or Corraro (died October 18, 1417), Pope from 1406 to 1415, succeeded Pope Innocent VII (1404–06) on November 30, 1406, having been chosen at Rome by a conclave consisting of only fifteen cardinals, under the express condition that, should antipope Benedict XIII (1394–1423...

Medieval Popes, from the thirteenth century onwards, did indeed avoid the direct route between the Lateran and St Peter's, as Martin of Opava claimed. However, there is no evidence that this practice dated back any earlier, let alone that it originated in the ninth century as a deliberate rebuff to the memory of the female Pope. The origin of the practice is uncertain, but it is quite likely that it was maintained because of widespread belief in the Joan legend and that it was thought genuinely to date back to that period.

Although some medieval writers referred to the female Pope as "John VIII", the real Pope John VIII reigned between 872 and 882, and his life does not resemble that of the fictional female Pope in any way. John VIII was pope from 872 to 882. ... Events Battle of Hafrsfjord in Norway, Harald Finehair first king of Norway. ... Events Carloman, King of the West Franks becomes sole king upon the death of his brother. ...

A problem sometimes connected to the Pope Joan legend is the fact that there is no Pope John XX in any official list. It is sometimes said that this reflects a renumbering of the Popes to exclude the woman from history. In fact, shortly after Pope John XXI became Pope in 1276, there arose a legend that there had been an "extra" Pope John between Pope John XIV and Pope John XV in the 10th century. Martin of Opava mentions this Pope in his chronicle. In reality, the Antipope Boniface VII occupied the Papal throne at this time. However, John XXI accordingly renumbered himself (when he should really have been John XX) and all Popes John since XIV to take account of this legendary "extra" Pope John. There has never been a Pope John XX. Some 11th century historians believed that there had been a pope named John between antipope Boniface VII and the actual Pope John XV; thus, the series of Pope John XV to Pope John XIX was mistakenly numbered John XVI to XX. These... Pope John XXI (1215 – May 20, 1277), born Pedro Julião, a Portuguese also called Pedro Hispano (Latin, Petrus Hispanus), was Pope from 1276 until his death. ... For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ... John XIV (died August 20, 984), Pope from 983 to 984, successor to Benedict VII, was born at Pavia, and before his elevation to the papal chair was imperial chancellor of Otto II, and was the latters second choice. ... John XV, pope from 984 to 996, generally recognized as the successor of Boniface VII, the pope John who was said to have ruled for four months after John XIV, being now omitted by the best authorities. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 10th century was that century which lasted from 901 to 1000. ... Boniface VII (died July 20, 985), who attained the papal chair in 974, is sometimes styled an antipope. ...

In popular culture

Main article: Pope Joan in popular culture

Pope Joan is the name of a female pope who supposedly reigned from 853 to 855, based on a legend that circulated in the Middle Ages. ...

See also

• Legends surrounding the Papacy
• Marozia

The papacy has been surrounded by numerous legends. ... Marozia also known as Mariuccia, given the unprecedented titles senatrix (senatoress) and patricia of Rome by Pope John X, was born about 890, and died, imprisoned by her son Alberic II, duke of Spoleto, between 932 and 937. ...

Bibliography

• Alain Boureau, The Myth of Pope Joan, University Of Chicago Press, 2000 Published in Paris as La Papesse Jeanne. The standard account among historians.
• Donna Woolfolk Cross, Pope Joan Ballantine Books, ISBN 0-345-41626-0
• Durrell, Lawrence. The Curious History of Pope Joan. London: Derek Verschoyle, 1954. Freely translated from the Greek of Emmanuel Royidis.
• Peter Stanford, The She-Pope. A Quest for the truth behind the Mystery of Pope Joan, Heineman, London 1998 ISBN 0-434-02458-9 Published in the US as The Legend of Pope Joan : In Search of the Truth, Henry Holt & Company, 1999. A popularized journalistic account.
• Clement Wood, The Woman Who Was Pope, Wm. Faro, Inc., NYC 1931

Donna Woolfolk Cross (1947 - ) is an American writer and the author of the novel Pope Joan, about a supposed female Catholic Pope from 855 to 858. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Dating varies (Boureau 1988).
2. ^ Barbara Sher Tinsley, "Pope Joan Polemic in Early Modern France: The Use and Disabuse of Myth" Sixteenth Century Journal 18.3 (Autumn 1987), pp 381-398.
3. ^ U.S. News & World Report: "The lady was a pope", 24 July 2000).
4. ^ Oxford Dictionary of Popes, 1988, page 329, ISBN 0-19-282085-0
5. ^ Rosemary and Darrell Pardoe, The Female Pope: The Mystery of Pope Joan. The First Complete Documentation of the Facts behind the Legend, Chapter 3, Crucible, 1988. Complete text available here
6. ^ Rosemary and Darrell Pardoe, The Female Pope: The Mystery of Pope Joan. The First Complete Documentation of the Facts behind the Legend, Crucible, 1988.

U.S. News & World Report is a weekly newsmagazine. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Joan
• The Female Pope: The Mystery of Pope Joan by Rosemary and Darroll Pardoe
• ABC Prime time Looking for Pope Joan
• Article from The Straight Dope