Pope Joan

Our heroine could not find common language with history - Queen, who loves the truth.

But she is our heroine, made friends with literature and poetry. They do not always fight for the bitter truth, preferring to her sometimes, though fictional, but beautiful legend. Our stranger its kracivoy and unusual Legend fascinated Boccaccio and Petrarch - the medieval troubadours of love. And closer to us, already in the 19 century, scholars of Alessandro Pushkin found in the drafts of the poet's unusual sketches, dating from 1833 year to their planned new play. In the center of the drama - an unusual fate of women who dared to the throne of the Pope --

Pope Joan

In this story all intertwined: History, Legend, Love, Intrigue.

In fact, it is difficult to the throne of the pope's Woman. Ordinary woman who awakens in man the feeling of love. A medieval church turns it into a fiend of evil, pushed Adam to fall. The woman, who, if they had at least what - either knowledge or skills, was transformed into a witch, which burned. In short, for the scholastic church of that period the woman was the beginning of all evils. Suddenly ...

Woman in the holy throne 'Father of fathers'.

We do not know whether she was of noble blood, rich or beautiful. It is believed that she was born in England, as evidenced by its name - John Angelicus - Johannes Angelicus. Then she lived in Mainz. The only thing that is certain - she was inquisitive and intelligent, would learn that in that era for women was not so easy - the church forbade. According to one legend, her father was a missionary, with whom she constantly traveled. Perhaps that's when he realized that the boy - his assistant and successor of religious missions, much better than a girl - a future female temptress, regarded the church as evil. And John began to dress in men's clothes. After the death of his father, still evaluating all the benefits of male costume, it was more to it never parted.

. According to another legend, having received primary education, she wanted to continue to learn what was available in medieval times only to men, and again it comes to the rescue male dress.

. Owned in the clothes she came in the monastery, where he immediately stood out among the general polugrammotnyh and the monks of his complaisance, and some knowledge
. It is believed that here, in the convent she met him ... in love ... told him the truth about yourself ... and, finally, became his mistress. We do not know his name. Medieval documents do not go into intimate details.

Lovers leave the monastery to go to Athens to continue his studies in spiritual and theological school. Soon, however, her lover fell ill and died. Now it has one continues on his way, still dressed as a man. This was the only way to get an education. Thus, the suit again, it comes to the rescue. And maybe she had simply had no choice. She nobody, and no waiting. She was alone, without family and without means of livelihood. A monk, so successfully masked all the features of a female figure, she opened the door to many monasteries, where you can wait out bad weather and keep warm by drinking a glass of mulled wine. Here no one particularly no one was interested in a few days, John went to find shelter in a monastery next. Her black dress was just as magical pass to the inaccessible to the inhabitants of the medieval world of education. She did not imagine his life differently.

After Athens, our heroine in male attire gets in Rome - not only religious but political and cultural center of Europe. She was handy her life experience and all of its knowledge. She identified because of their erudition, good memory, quirky wit and ability to work with documents. Skillfully apply the knowledge, deftly combining the acquired male traits with feminine qualities, she has given the nature. Later, John became a notary in the papal council. At that time, the notary - is a lawyer, and secretary, and archivist, and adviser in one person. It runs were all the most important documents of the papal office: financial, political, religious. Do not forget: the Catholic Church, in contrast to the Orthodox, has always been actively involved in the politics of their wards.

So she took the very same honorable position at the court of Pope Leon IV. And in 855, after his death, was elected as 'Father of fathers'. This date, as the name of Pope Leon IV - real historical facts.

Thus, a woman goes to the Holy See under the name of John VIII. And nobody would have nothing guessed, if not a purely female sentimentality. She is in love again and this time pregnant. Free and wide robe Pope for a time successfully hides the changed shape. It is less and less involved in the various parades, but the day came the Grand Ascension, which according to the established ritual, marked by a religious procession with the obligatory participation of the Pope. Avoid this was not possible. During the procession to the Cathedral of St. Peter unexpectedly went into labor and a few minutes later she was delivered of a.

Later this place was built the Greatest chapel with a statue of a beautiful young woman with a papal attribute in one hand and a child in another. Creating this small masterpiece, an unknown author is clearly not nurtured hatred for a woman to occupy the post of Pope. She was beautiful

. As church ministers, they unsuccessfully tried to erase the history of its name and the first thing they did - were told to remove the monument.

. As you can see, our heroine created a great noise in the male world of religion, winning a woman's right to education, as well as proving that a woman can take its rightful place in society, and in politics.

. The first source has been preserved to our days, where the mention of this mysterious Maiden - 'De septem donis Spiritus Sancti' - 'The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit'
. Author - Stephen Bourbon. The hero of his narrative knew grammotu, read a lot, he began to rewrite the book. In an era of book-printing when no one has yet guessed, the census books were available only to privileged personages who have received spiritual education. With the honorary title of scholar, he became a notary at the court of the pope, and later was elected pope. The author does not mention the name of his hero, but makes it clear that we are talking about a woman, because during a funeral procession, she gave birth. Angry clerics pelted stones at the child, she died as well.

. Occupies a special place 'Chronicle of the Popes and Emperors' - 'Cronicon pontificum et imperatorum', appeared in 13 century, written by the Dominican monk Martin of tropane, where it is fairly detailed account of a certain Joan, born in 822 year
. She Englishwoman, but was born in Mainz. The author suggests that her parents were immigrants who had left England in his time. Then he tells us that Joan fell in love with the scientist Benedictine monks. He belonged to one of the most literate religious orders, and today the word - 'benedektinets' has become the second value - scientist, scholar. Prompted by love of man and to knowledge, she accompanies her lover in Athens, dressed in monk's dress. Preobretya vast knowledge of history, oratory, philosophy, she went to Rome, where he soon becomes koordinalom, and then the Pope.

One can assume that from 10 to 14 age existence of Pope Joan did not call anybody doubts. Moreover, in the same period appeared fairly not an ordinary seat for high-ranking Catholic: bishops, archbishops, and even for Dad. In the center seat was a small hole ... In a strange way, but the chair was part of a special ritual and used only in the time of the holy dignity. Not difficult to guess what. Exactly in that distant era supposed to check the sex of elected clerics. It seemed that the church was afraid to make a mistake again. The ritual lasted until 15 century, and a chair and is now in a museum in Rome. Things began to change since the early 15 th century and it is understandable. Approaching the Great Revival - The Renaissance. Gradually, the church lost its position, yielding Epoch Prosvscheniya. Great free-thinkers - Voltaire, Rousseau, Swift ...

History of Pope Joan is not forgotten, but suddenly it took a slightly different turn. Finally had the opportunity to ridicule the Catholic Church, which failed to distinguish women from men. But not only ... Woman wrote about the medieval chroniclers independence, integrity, educated, intelligent. It is no different from men. It was no great shakes call scholastic standards of the medieval church. History of Pope Joan becomes a legend.

Today, it remains unclear the issue of the plausibility of this image. Some people write about it, how about a fictional person, which went down in history thanks to a romantic legend, others call it adventuress, while others are devoted to it his literary works: poetry, prose, plays, screenplays.

. Even if this legend, who her avtorN probably still a man, who lived in the distant Middle Ages, and dreaming about the ideal woman: beautiful, brave, intelligent, feminine, sometimes provocative and not afraid to love.