Dante's Purgatory consists of seven terraces located on a mountain island in the southern hemisphere. Souls arrive via boat guided by an angel to purge themselves of venial sins through different punishments and prayers on each terrace representing the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. As Dante ascends he witnesses stories and sculptures depicting the opposite virtues and has the corresponding letter for each sin erased from his forehead by an angel's touch.

3. Dante's Purgatory
₪lofty island-mountain
₪the only land in the southern
Hemisphere
₪ at the antipodes of Jerusalem
₪consists of seven level
terraces

4. ₪On the summit of the mountain
is the Garden of Eden, or
Earthly Paradise
₪Temporal punishment for those
who, departing this life in God's
grace, are not entirely free
from venial faults

5. ₪do not eat or drink
₪will heal from any wound o
injury
₪do not cast shadows
₪guarded by angels

7. ₪Four particularly
noticeable stars
₪Four Cardinal Virtues
₪ Prudence, Temperance,
Fortitude, and Justice

8. ₪Cato
₪As dawn rises, an angel comes to the shore.
It is at first visible as a bright white light
moving swiftly over the sea, out of the
dawn. As it approaches it can be seen to
be standing on a boat, which leaps lightly
over the waves.

9. ₪The boat which the angel pilots
carries a hundred souls to purgatory.
They sing 'In exitu Israel de Aegypto'
as the boat carries them along.
₪souls arrive on the shores of
Purgatory quite regularly.

10. THE EXCOMMUNICATE
₪died outside the Church
₪died repentant but unreconciled with the Church
₪thirty times longer than they
were outside the Church
₪ though the prayers of those on
Earth can reduce this time
somewhat.

11. THE LETHARGIC
₪the negligent
₪ those who postponed their repentance
to the last hour
₪ did repent before death
₪equivalent to the time they spent
drifting through unrepentant days
₪prayers of those on Earth can reduce
this time somewhat.

12. THE UN-ABSOLVED
₪delayed repentance
₪met with death by
violence
₪died repentant, pardoning
and pardoned.

13. The Negligent Rulers
₪Salve Regina.
₪virtuous, but negligent of salvation in
life
₪Emperor Rudolph, Ottocar (the father of King
Wenceslas), Peter the Third of Aragon and
Henry III of England.

14. Gate of the Purgatory
₪simple fissure in the wall of the path
₪three steps with different colors
₪The first is white marble, polished to a mirror
finish.
₪ The second is basalt, coloured darker than
purple with a rough finish and two cracks a
long its length and width forming the sign
of the Cross.
₪ The third, and last, is flaming porphyry,
brighter red then arterial blood.
₪The gate itself is of solid banded iron.

15. ₪gatekeeper guards the gate into Purgatory proper
well,
₪will allow those who are sufficiently devout, and
who have a valid reason through
₪seven 'P's on his forehead with the point of his
sword, one for each mortal sin, and advises Dante
that he does not fail to wash them all off
as he
ascends.
₪The gatekeeper has two keys in his robe, one of
silver and one of gold. These were given to him
by St. Peter

16. ₪Both are needed to open the gate when
used in order, silver then gold.
₪ If the gate does open, which it does with
a shrill shriek of un-oiled hinges
₪the gatekeeper advises those let in not to
look back as they ascend further
₪ those who do are brought back to antePurgatory,

18. First Terrace: The Proud
₪beautiful sculptures expressing humility, the
opposite virtue
₪The Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, where
she responds to the angel Gabriel with the
words Ecce ancilla Dei ("Behold the
handmaid of the Lord," Luke 1:38)
₪bent over by the weight of huge stones on
their backs

19. ₪ Satan (Lucifer), the building of the To
of Babel, King Saul, Arachne,
King Rehoboam
₪an angel brushes Dante's forehead wi
his wings, erasing the letter "P"
(peccatum) corresponding to the sin of
pride
₪ Beati pauperes spiritu ("Blessed are t
poor in spirit," Matthew 5:3)

20. Anunciation

21. Tower of Babel

22. Arachne

23. Second Terrace: The Envious
₪stories of generosity, the opposite
virtue
₪Wedding at Cana
₪classical story shows the friendship
between Orestes and Pylades
₪penitential grey cloaks
₪their eyes are sewn shut with iron
thread

24. Cain and Abel

25. Third terrace : The Wrathful
₪examples of meekness, the opposite virtue
₪The scene from the Life of the
₪Finding at the Temple.
₪The prayer for this terrace is the Agnus Dei
or Lamb of God
₪hidden in thick, choking smoke

26. St. Stephen

27. Fourth terrace: The Slothful
₪deficient love — that is, sloth or acedia
₪souls as they run around the terrace
₪The Visitation
₪Allegorically, spiritual laziness and lack of caring
lead to sadness and so the beatitude for this terrace
is Beati qui lugent ("Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted)
₪Dante dreams of a siren
₪Constant running

28. Fifth terrace: The Covetous
₪Excessive love for things
₪excessive concern for earthly goods
₪greed, ambition or extravagance
₪ The avaracious and prodigal lie face-down
on the ground, unable to move.
₪Their prayer is Adhaesit pavimento anima
mea, taken from Psalm 119:25
₪Dante meets the shade of Pope Adrian V
₪ Statius
₪Humble birth of Christ

30. Sixth terrace: The Gluttonous
₪over-emphasised food, drink, and bodily
comforts
₪Punishment to Tantalus
₪ Wedding at Cana, and John the Baptist
₪ Labia mea Domine
₪ Foresa Donati
₪Bonagiunta Orbicciani
₪Starvation while sorrounded by food

31. Battle of Centaurs and Lapiths

32. Seventh terrace: The Lustful
₪immense wall of Souls repenting of misdirected sexual
desire
₪ run through the flames calling out examples of lust
₪As a prayer, they sing the hymn Summae Deus
Clementiae (God of Supreme Clemency) from the Liturgy of
the Hours
₪strong wind rising from below.
₪two groups of sinners in the fire, one stationary, one
moving
₪The moving group are those who committed unnatural
acts of lust while the
₪stationary are those who sinned no less, but by simply
lusting too much, rather than wrongly.