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Passing
as the Pope - the Story of Joan English
by
Alison Phipps
(continued,
page 3)
Joan
was unanimously elected Pope in 856 by virtue of her learning
and also by the wish of her predecessor, Benedict III. At this
time she was still believed to be a man. Manuscript Parisinus
Lat 5140, while neglecting to name her, describes Joan as,
"beautiful
to behold, graceful in form, learned in words, humble in speech,
illustrious in deeds, devoted to fasting and to divine worship,
generous to the poor, protector of orphans, supporter of widows
and defender of the people." (9th century Papal manuscript
Parisinus Lat 5140, referenced in Joan Morris, Pope John VIII:
An English Woman (1985), p. 14).
She
was, by all accounts, a very capable Pope, and had a considerable
musical talent - a 14th century Bodleian manuscript discovered
at Oxford states that Pope Joan was a very successful religious
composer during her time of office. The scribe adds that her compositions
were later prohibited because it was discovered that John English
was a woman. (Martin Polonus, Chronicon Summorum Pontificum et
Imperatorum Romanorum, Bodelian Manuscript 452, folio 30v). Henry
Cornelius Agrippa, in a 16th century satirical piece on society
and the Church, records that a woman reached the position of Pope
under the name of John VIII, and was praised by all until her
sex was discovered. (Henry Cornelius Agrippa, de Incertitudine
et Vanitate Ominum Scientium at Artium (Antwerp, 1531), ch. 62).
The
career of Pope John VIII, alias Pope Joan, came to an abrupt end
when she became pregnant: rumour has it that the father of the
baby was one of her Cardinals. According to all accounts the child
was delivered early, during a long and tiring ceremonial procession
through Rome. Joan delivered her son alone, on the road between
the Coliseum and the Church of St Clement. Some historians hold
that neither Joan or the baby survived the birth; others say that
she was cast into prison after her sex was revealed; and a third
contingent maintain that she took the veil and did penance for
many years for her deception, while her son grew up to become
the Bishop of Ostia. But whatever the ending of Joan's story,
this does not detract from its impact. For a 9th century woman
to hold the Papal position and become universally respected as
its occupant is nothing short of a miracle. This knowledge has
probably been behind many attempts to conceal Joan's achievements
and even the actuality of her life.
The
various letters and documents attesting to memorials of Pope Joan
are an indication of her immense success during her short time
in office. Among these is a statue in Rome, thrown into the Tiber
as a pagan relic in the late 16th century, which was reported
in guidebooks of the city up to the 1800's. The bust of Pope Joan
that stood among the series of 170 popes in the Cathedral of Sienna
is just as well affirmed. It is said that Joan's features were
eventually battered into the male form of Pope Zachary in 1634.
The
legend of Joan continues up to the present day: an extraordinary
tale of a woman subverting the sex/gender system in a spectacular
manner and allowing a chink of light to peek through the overcast
skies of mediaeval times. Stories such as hers show us that the
struggle to overcome the limitations of traditional female roles
is probably as old as time itself.
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