- 1
Who is Lucia, and why does she help bear up Dante to the gates of Purgatory?
Here again, students who have read Dante's Inferno will have a slight edge. Lucia (or Lucy) is a well-known saint in the Christian tradition. She appears in Inferno as a messenger sent by the Virgin Mary to Beatrice in Heaven to warn of Dante's fall into sin. She is thus one of the many heavenly forces arrayed in Dante's favor and, accordingly, helps him on his journey through Purgatory.
- 2
What is the symbolism of the colors of the steps before Peter's gate, as well as of the keys possessed by the angel guarding it?
Students may not immediately know the answer to this question, but...
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