How did medieval writers interpret Virgil’s Aeneid as a symbolic Christian work?

During the Middle Ages, Christian writers increasingly interpreted Virgil’s Aeneid through the lens of allegory to reconcile his pagan epic with Christian values. This practice, which gained significant momentum by the 4th century, relied on two primary foundations:1

• Prophetic Interpretation: Virgil’s fourth eclogue was widely viewed as a prophecy of the birth of Christ, which encouraged scholars to seek further Christian wisdom within his broader body of work.1
• Moral Allegory: The character of Aeneas was reinterpreted as a figure of virtue, specifically a man devoted to a divine mission and characterized by pius—a term understood as obedience to divine command over personal inclination.12

Influential figures like Fabius Planciades Fulgentius pioneered methods of allegorical interpretation that became standard for medieval scholars, who sought to reveal "mystic meanings" hidden within the narrative. This tradition of reading the Aeneid as a repository of moral and spiritual truth culminated in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, where Virgil serves as the poet’s guide through the afterlife, symbolizing the integration of classical wisdom into a Christian worldview.31