Inferno Xvi: Dante's Tomb

The total text of the canto inwards Italian/English

It is heartening for the someone to acquire that non fifty-fifty Dante Alighieri got everything ever right, in addition to that the sixteenth canto of the Divine Comedy is something of a dud; fiddling to a greater extent than than the B-side of the fifteenth. Dante meets to a greater extent than sodomites, in addition to non inwards the fun way. They converse. They become their split ways. Then at the goal something odd in addition to rather mystical happens which I’ll acquire to at the goal of this post. But seeing equally I don’t desire to become into the total details of the canto, I’ll nation y'all a fiddling chip nearly Dante’s tomb, which I visited during my recent trip to Italy.

Entering the 'zone of silence'

Dante was equally adventurous inwards decease equally he was inwards life. As y'all mightiness recall, he wrote the Comedy whilst inwards exile, in addition to was never allowed to provide to his native in addition to love Florence. He was inwards Rome when the judgement was issued, inwards 1302, in addition to spent the remainder of his life travelling from courtroom to courtroom inwards search of utilisation in addition to protection. He lived inwards Verona, Treviso, Padua, the percentage known equally Lunigiana, in addition to hold upward Ravenna, where he completed the Paradiso some fourth dimension earlier 1321. He died in that location at the historic catamenia of 56, next a embassy to Venice, in addition to was pose to remainder inwards a Roman-era sarcophagus close the basilica of Saint Francis.

Then the Comedy became a hit, in addition to Boccaccio started lecturing inwards Florence nearly it, in addition to shortly the urban nitty-gritty decided they would similar to accept him dorsum later on all. They made a kickoff endeavour inwards 1396, but were rebuffed, in addition to then 1 time again inwards 1428 in addition to 1476. Finally, tired of bespeak politely, they got Pope Leo X – a native of Florence in addition to boy of Lorenzo de' Medici – to number an fellowship for the transfer of Dante’s trunk to his native urban nitty-gritty (Ravenna at this fourth dimension was run of the Papal State). Michelangelo was at the ready, anxious to sculpt a monument inwards laurels of the swell poet. But when the Florentine envoys opened the sarcophagus, they establish that it was empty. It transpired that the local Franciscan monks had stolen the trunk from within the sarcophagus yesteryear drilling a hole on the other side of the wall against which it rested, Ocean’s Eleven-style. The envoys had no authorization to fellowship Franciscan monks around, in addition to thence Dante’s remains were placed nether their protection.

And that would live fine, except the monks moved him unopen to thence many times that eventually they lost him. It happened some fourth dimension later on 1810, when the trunk was removed from the sarcophagus inwards its latterly built novel chapel for fearfulness that Napoleon’s troops mightiness pocket it, equally was their wont. The trunk was placed inwards a wooden box in addition to hidden within a wall but the monks didn’t go on expert records in addition to the precautionary shift was shortly forgotten. So for the best run of the 19th century everyone only assumed that the empty sarcophagus all the same contained Dante’s remains.

The box was establish yesteryear accident inwards 1865, during the restoration of the chapel, in addition to a pupil was quick plenty to read the words “Ossa Dantis” (Dante’s bones) on the inscription earlier the respect could live labelled equally a generic purse of bones in addition to placed inwards a mutual ossuary.

We’re non done. Dante was moved 1 time again during the Second World War, for fearfulness that the tomb mightiness live bombed, in addition to placed inwards the adjoining cloister, nether a plaque that all the same commemorates this fact.

Most recently, the tomb was establish to conduct hold been included remember?) runs alongside the blood of the damned. There is no apparent passage for travelling safely out of the 7th circle in addition to into the eighth. Instead, Virgil asks Dante to overstep him the cord he keeps unopen to his waist in addition to throws it over the fall. This foreign incantation shortly bears its fruit, equally Dante begins to discern through the spray a meravigliosa figura (‘marvellous figure’) that – always loving a cliff-hanger – he stops precisely brusque of naming or describing.

Previously: Inferno I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV.