Angels-PURGATORY, ANGELS OF

Purgatory in Catholic doctrine represents the door to salvation for
those souls who repent before dying and are ultimately going to see
the light of Paradise, but who do not merit immediate admission to
heaven. The most powerful literary depiction of purgatory came from
the pen of Dante, who describes an imaginary trip with his guide, the
poet Virgil, through the afterlife kingdoms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise
in the early fourteenth century. Dante’s Purgatory is geographically
located in the middle of the ocean opposite Jerusalem. It is structured
as a mountain around which seven cornices are built, each
representing one of the seven deadly sins.
The angels are sent by order of God from Paradise to guide the
repentants in their ascent toward salvation. Each encounter with the
angels, like the entire journey of Dante, is rich with metaphors and
allegories. The angels’ colors, gestures, and objects (e.g., like the sword
and the keys of the doorkeeper) always symbolize a virtue that leads to
the achievement of salvation.
After a brief encounter with the angel-boatman, who is responsible
for carrying the souls to Purgatory—a boat propelled only by the angel’s
wings—the two travelers are welcomed at the foothill of the Mountain
by the angel-doorkeeper. The two travelers ascend three steps, which
symbolically represent contrition, confession, and expiation. Then,
before opening the gate, the angel-doorkeeper marks Dante’s forehead
with seven symbolic p’s (representing the structure of Purgatory).
Two angels guard the lowest part of the Mountain, the antepurgatory,
where souls start their process of expiation and purification
before ascending to their designated cornices. In the antepurgatory
appears for the last time the tempter serpent, which is killed by the
two angels with their swords.
Dante goes through the process of purification by having
removed, one by one, all of the p’s from his forehead. They are
removed by the angel guides at the entrance of the various cornices,
who represent the special graces sent by God to sinners for purification
(inspiration to eschew sin, and enlightenment, cooperation, and
fervor to practice virtue).
The angels of purgatory have three functions: they perform a
purification rite (removing one by one the deadly sins from the soul),
they illuminate with their light; and they lead the soul in its ascent to
perfection and beatitude (by pointing out the stairways to the next
cornice). Each of those who guard the cornices symbolically represent
the purgation of sin from their cornice or wears a color that represents
a virtue.
After all the p’s have been washed away, Dante is ready to ascend
higher. Having completed the expiatory labor of climbing the Mountain,
he can now reach the Angel Guardian of the Terrestrial Paradise
who welcomes those souls who have expiated their sins and are prepared
to bear the vision of Christ, after which they ascend to the higher
heavens of Paradise.