In Catholicism, it’s believed that Christian sinners must go through a series of trials before they can reach Heaven. The place where these trials reside is called Purgatory. Dante’s works cover Purgatory as well, so much so that this laid the foundation for some of today’s perspectives towards it. As such, below are the 9 circles of Purgatory. 

1. Stubborness

Ante-Purgatory is separated into two stages: stubborness and repentance. The first stage, stubborness, deals with those who remain stubborn within Christianity. Because of this, they must wait at the foot of the stage for a long time. Those who are considered good Christians can pass forward. 

2. Repentance 

The next stage, Repentance, is where souls of the unrepentant reside. There are large gates in this stage, where, when Dante crosses it, he will enter Purgatory. 

3. Pride

Pride is the first of the seven deadly sins, and is a place where the prideful dwell. The victims here must carry large boulders on their backs, crouched down. This is supposed to represent their forced humility.

4. Envy

The second stage is for those who looked upon everyone around them with envy, who wanted to covet their riches and the like. In this stage, victims wear grey cloaks. In order for them not to become envious, their eyes are sewn shut.

5. Wrath

The third stage, wrath, deals with anger. In this stage, the souls are shrouded by darkness, representing the fact that anger had blinded them from all knowledge and common sense.

6. Sloth

The fourth stage, Sloth, is where souls must run for all eternity, simply because they didn’t have that kind of energy when they were still alive. But the sin doesn’t include just physical activities; it also includes emotions, such as love and sorrow. In other words, the souls residing here were too lazy to care about anyone but themselves.

7. Avarice

The souls residing in this stage are forced to lie on the floor, with their feet and hands bound together. They can no longer move, and are forced to be purged of all the materialism and desires they had back when they were still alive.

8. Gluttony

In this stage, souls are forced to endure excruciating hunger. Though there are trees laden with fresh fruit, the souls can never reach these treats. Through this punishment, the souls learn temperance and self-control. 

9. Lust

The final stage, lust, consists of souls who must run through a wall of flames. The flames represent burning passion in the context of intercourse. At the same time, the voices of chastity speak out to them. 

The seven deadly sins have played a role in introducing different aspects of Christianity. Whether it be converting, to dealing with corruption within the church, it’s clear that Dante was influenced by religion, socially, politically, and psychologically. Even so, this depiction of Purgatory is rather famous, simply because it incorporates the rather well-known belief in Purgatory at the time. Though this belief has waned over the centuries, it continues to impact popular culture today.