Pope Joan

First written down by the Dominican Jean de Mailly around 1255, the tale says a woman disguised as a man became pope in the 9th century and was exposed when she gave birth in a street between the Colosseum and the Lateran.

1255 CE · 41.89, 12.50 · status: hoax

The sceptical view

Historians agree there was no Pope Joan; the papal succession has no gap for her. The street was long avoided by processions.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Pope Joan