Oct 18, 2021
The Divine Comedy, Inferno, plate 45, The Punishment of Simonists by Gustave Doré
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The Divine Comedy, Inferno, plate 45, The Punishment of Simonists by Gustave Doré
The Punishment Of Simonists, By Gustave Doré. (1868)
The punishment for simonists in the Inferno was to be shoved, headfirst, into holes set in the ground, while having their feet set on fire. The holes were meant to represent baptismal fonts, those basins in church filled with holy water. When new arrivals came to this part of hell, no new holes were created; they simply pushed a current resident deeper into his hole and shoved the new one in on top of him.
[ A simonist was a member of the clergy that would accept cash in exchange for ecclesiastical favors. In other words, you gave them money and they did absolutely nothing at all real for you in return. (Perhaps the most obvious modern analogue for the simonists would be televangelists, since they have a similar M.O.)]
source
Simonists, 2012, etching