Dante and Virgil emerge from Hell and get their first glimpse of Purgatory. It is an island dominated by a steep mountain, but unlike Inferno, has day and night, as well as beauty and color. It is the world of the purification of souls, and while all the souls are enduring suffering, there is now an overpowering feeling of hope and joy.
All souls here are destined for Heaven. Contrary to popular misconceptions no one goes to Hell who is in Purgatory. It is, in a sense, an extension of Heaven; in fact there is a gate of Purgatory but no separate gate to Dante’s Heaven. This world is the preparation to see God, and all suffering has the purpose of purification of the souls to be in His presence. It is the closest world to our own on earth.
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