Pope Joan (legend)
Pope Joan is a legendary figure from medieval lore who is said to have been the only female pope in the history of the Catholic Church. According to the tale, she was born in Mainz, Germany, and disguised herself as a monk to gain access to education at a monastery. After adopting the name John Anglicus, she progressed through the church hierarchy and was elected pope, taking the name John VIII. Her reign lasted just over two years until her secret was revealed during a papal procession when she went into labor. The aftermath of this event is shrouded in various accounts, including her death or banishment.
The story of Pope Joan was widely accepted during the Middle Ages but is largely regarded by historians as a myth, with the Catholic Church dismissing it as a fabrication intended to undermine its authority. Despite the lack of evidence supporting her existence, the legend persists, capturing public interest, particularly in the context of ongoing discussions about women's roles within the church. The tale has been depicted in artwork and literature and remains a cultural reference point regarding gender and power dynamics in religious contexts.
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Pope Joan (legend)
According to medieval legend, Pope Joan was a woman who disguised herself as a monk and rose to become the Catholic Church's only female pope. Her secret was exposed when she gave birth during a papal procession, putting an end to her rule.
Pope Joan has been referenced in medieval documents and works of art. Her story was generally accepted as fact during the Middle Ages. However, most historians discount the tale as fiction. The Catholic Church has dismissed Pope Joan as a myth created to disgrace the church.
Despite a lack of solid evidence, the legend of Pope Joan has endured for centuries. The tale still generates interest as the Catholic Church continues to exclude women from the priesthood.
Overview
As the legend goes, Pope Joan grew up in Mainz, Germany. Hiding her body in clerical robes, she passed herself off as a boy so she could study at a monastery run by English missionaries. She fell in love with a monk and ran away with him to Athens, and then moved to Rome.
Joan adopted the name John Anglicus, or John the Englishman. She excelled in her studies and impressed her peers, working her way up to cardinal. Upon Pope Leo IV's death in 855, she was unanimously elected pope.
Taking the name John VIII, Joan ruled as head of the church for two years, seven months, and four days. Her tragic downfall came in 858 as she was processing to the Church of the Lateran in Rome. A pregnant Joan went into labor, horrifying the crowd. The tales vary in what happened to her and her child: she was dragged by a horse and killed; she and her child were stoned to death; or she was banished to a convent, with her son growing up to become a bishop.
After the debacle, Pope Joan was allegedly erased from the church's papal records. For decades, subsequent popes avoided the notorious road, which was called the Vicus Papissa, or the street of the female pope.
The first accounts of Pope Joan appeared in chronicles written by monks Jean de Mailly and Martinus Polonus in the thirteenth century. She was also included in a fourteenth-century book of famous women.
Joan's image has been depicted in paintings and sculptures. She was once featured among the busts of popes in the Siena Cathedral in Italy. She appears on a tarot card, La Papessa, which signifies hidden knowledge.
Many historians doubt the existence of Pope Joan. There are no recorded mentions of her until nearly four hundred years after her alleged reign. The years of her rule conflict with the documented reigns of Popes Leo IV and Benedict III.
The Catholic Church claims early Protestants fabricated the legend of Pope Joan to discredit the church's papal authority. The story may have been a satire, ridiculing the church for its rampant corruption.
The myth may have served as a warning to women. The story of Pope Joan discouraged women from seeking a place of power in the church, with the threat of humiliation and shame.
In the twenty-first century, the Catholic Church still prohibits the ordination of women as priests. As women strive to enter the ranks of the church's hierarchy, the legend of Pope Joan continues to fascinate the public.
Bibliography
Andrews, Evan. "Who Was Pope Joan?" History.com, 10 June 2015, www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-was-pope-joan. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Cellania, Miss. "The Legend of Pope Joan." Mental Floss, 15 Sept. 2015, mentalfloss.com/article/68612/legend-pope-joan. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
"Looking for Pope Joan." ABC News, 29 Dec. 2005, abcnews.go.com/Primetime/pope-joan/story?id=1453197. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Lynch, Joseph H., and Phillip C. Adamo. The Medieval Church: A Brief History. Routledge, 2014.
"Popess Joan." New Advent: Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org/cathen/08407a.htm. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Rustici, Craig M. The Afterlife of Pope Joan: Deploying the Popess Legend in Early Modern England. U of Michigan P, 2006.
Shubert, Atika, and Ben Wedeman. "Legend of Female Pope Endures as Men Decide Church's Next Leader." CNN, 13 Mar. 2013, www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/world/women-pope/index.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Squires, Nick. "Pope Joan Film Sparks Roman Catholic Church Row." Telegraph, 20 June 2010, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/7841690/Pope-Joan-film-sparks-Roman-Catholic-Church-row.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.
Stanford, Peter. "Mystery of the Pregnant Pope: New Film Reopens One of the Vatican's Most Enduring Wounds." Daily Mail, 22 June 2010, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1288501/Mystery-pregnant-pope-New-film-reopens-Vaticans-enduring-wounds.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.