Influence of religion on Tarot de Marseille: Tarot de Besancon and Swiss 1JJ Tarot

Case : 179. 

The use of obviously Christian traditional images in Tarot (such as the Pope, the Devil, the Grim Reaper and the Last Judgement) and indeed controversial images such as La Papesse card have spawned controversies because of its portrayal of a female pope. There is no solid historical evidence of a female pope, but this card may be based around the mythical Pope Joan. One variant of the Tarot de Marseille, called the Tarot de Besançon, removes the controversial Popess and Pope and, in their stead, puts Juno and Jupiter. This deck was popular among Catholics living in regions that bordered Protestant communities. An updated variant of the Besançon pattern is the Swiss 1JJ Tarot which were made around 1860 by Johannes Müller in Diessenhofen. The lack of modern features has made this deck unpopular for tarot players outside of their native communities. It is still the official deck for Troccas tournaments.