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Pope Nicholas III In Dante's Inferno

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As one that truly despises the Catholic Church’s doings, Dante associates Pope Nicholas III as a simonist and nepotists in order to slander the church; a goal that Dante is trying to portray in his works. Pope Nicholas III is not only depicted in the Inferno, but he is also placed in one of the lowest levels of hell, Circle 8. Dante’s use of such a location further emphasized his hate for the church’s decision of exile and acts of simony. When Dante mentions that “They seemed to be exactly the same size as those in the font of my beautiful San Giovanni, built to protect the priests who come to baptize;”(Interno XIX.16-18), the author is alluding to his life before an exile. For before the exile, Dante lived a peaceful manner until effected
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