The third realm of the afterlife details Dante's voyage through the nine spheres of Paradise. Following medieval cosmology, Dante's presentation of the planetary system broadly follows the Ptolemaic geometric model. Beatrice guides Dante successively through the nine spheres, each of which carries a heavenly body which orbits the earth: in succession they include the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Fixed Stars. The voyage culminates in a vision of God in the Empyrean, the realm of pure light.

Above the Italian and English texts of Paradiso readers will find additional information on all the terms listed (Creatures, Deities, Images, People, Places, and Structures). Every canto of Paradiso contains visual material, keyed to specific passages. Click on Images to view a list of the visual material available for each canto. Go to Maps for depictions of Paradise. Readers will also find recordings of all the liturgical pieces and hymns mentioned in this canticle. Click on the Music link to hear the songs