Pope Joan(John Anglicus" or "John of Mainz.) is a legendary female Pope who supposedly reigned for a few years some time thought to be between 853 - 855 AD.
The story first appeared in the writings of 13th-century chroniclers, and subsequently spread through Europe.
It was widely believed for centuries,
though modern historians and religious scholars consider it fictitious, perhaps deriving from historicized folklore regarding Roman monuments or from anti-papal satire.