Fra Gomita

Profile

The name of fra Gomita is introduced in the twenty-second canto of the Inferno, where a damned soul cites him as an example of a barrator. According to the notes to the same canto, fra Gomita was a Sardinian from the region of Gallura, one of the four judiciaries into which the Pisans had divided Sardinia after the conquest from the Saracens in 1117. He was vicar of the Pisan judge Nino Visconti, who governed the judiciary of Gallura for Pisa from 1275 to 1296. The notes report that Nino trusted him blindly despite accusations of barratry, until it became clear that fra Gomita had released, in return for payment, some enemies of Visconti who had fallen into his hands; for this he was hanged by the neck. The same notes recall that Dante may have learned of the episode from Nino Visconti himself, who was his friend.