PURGATORY IN PERSPECTIVE: FROM DANTE ALIGHIERI AND GUSTAVE DORÉ TO THE ORIGINALITY OF CHIARA LUBICH'S THOUGHT

Abstract

This article examines purgatory through an interdisciplinary approach that brings together literature, art, the history of doctrine, and spiritual theology. It begins with the literary representation of Purgatory in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and its visual interpretation in Gustave Doré's engravings, then explores the historical and theological development of the doctrine within the Christian tradition, culminating in the reinterpretation proposed by Chiara Lubich. The study argues that purgatory came to be understood progressively less as punishment and more as a process of transformative purification accomplished through divine love. In continuity with Catholic tradition, Lubich emphasizes the anticipatory dimension of this purification, presenting it as a spiritual journey that can already begin in this life through living the Gospel, overcoming the “old self,” and growing continuously in charity. The article concludes that purgatory can be understood as a pedagogy of love and an itinerary toward full communion with God and with one's brothers and sisters.