Saint John at the Latin Gate

Abstract

This chapter introduces the church of San Giovanni a Porta Latina, which is an important Christian site as it marks the supposed place of the martyrdom of Saint John the Evangelist. It mentions Saint John at the Latin Gate that represents a geographically and legally marginal place in the late sixteenth century. It also talks about Marco Pinto, who was able to exploit a different kind of marginal culture by introducing “hermits” of an unaccustomed sort in San Giovanni. The chapter refers to Geronimo de Pacis, who confessed to his interrogators that he has had several sexual interactions with Pinto for many years, a scenario that is considered a typical one in early modern Europe. It highlights the context wherein the older man can take advantage of his physical proximity to a youth to initiate sexual relations that take place along clearly determined pederastic lines.