Mary Magdalene facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene (c. 1524) by Andrea Solari, showing her with ointment
Apostle to the Apostles
Born	Possibly Magdala, Roman Judea
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Catholic Churches Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches Anglican Communion Lutheranism other Protestant churches Baháʼí Faith
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Feast	July 22
Attributes	Western: alabaster box of ointment Eastern: container of ointment (as a myrrhbearer), or holding a red egg (symbol of the resurrection); embracing the feet of Christ after the Resurrection

Mary Magdalene (also called Mary of Magdala) was an important woman in the Bible. She was one of Jesus's closest followers. The four main gospels in the Bible say she was with Jesus during his crucifixion (when he died on the cross). She was also a witness to his resurrection (when he came back to life).

Mary Magdalene is mentioned many times in the gospels. She is mentioned more than most of Jesus's apostles. Her name "Magdalene" likely means she came from a town called Magdala. This was a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Roman Judea.

The Gospel of Luke says Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus. She helped support his work "out of their resources." This means she might have been a wealthy person. The Bible also says that Jesus helped her overcome some difficulties in her life.

Mary Magdalene was present at Jesus's burial. All four gospels say she was the first to see the empty tomb after Jesus's death. She was also among the first to see Jesus after he had risen. Because of this, some Christian traditions call her the "apostle to the apostles." This means she was like an apostle (a messenger) to the other apostles.

Mary Magdalene is seen as a saint by many Christian groups. These include the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In 2016, Pope Francis made her feast day (July 22) more important. He wanted her to be known as the "Apostle of the apostles."

Her Life and Importance

Historians generally agree that Mary Magdalene was a real person. However, not much is known about her early life. She did not write any books or letters herself. The earliest and most reliable information about her comes from the three Synoptic Gospels. These are the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. They were written in the first century AD.

Mary Magdalene in Legends

One famous story about Mary Magdalene comes from The Golden Legend. This was a collection of saint stories written around 1260. In this legend, Mary Magdalene was very rich and beautiful. But she chose to leave her wealthy life to follow Jesus.

The legend says that after Jesus's death, Mary Magdalene and others were put on a boat without a rudder. They were left to die in the Mediterranean Sea. But the boat miraculously landed in Marseille, France. Mary Magdalene then shared the Christian message with people there. She even helped a governor and his wife become Christians.

The legend also says Mary Magdalene spent her last thirty years living alone in a cave. She lived as a hermit, praying and being close to God. Angels would visit her and lift her up to hear their songs. On her last day, she received a special blessing and died peacefully. Her remains are said to have been moved to a church in France.

Gallery

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  Noli me tangere (c. 1440-1442), fresco by Fra Angelico

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  Mary Magdalene Reading (c. 1500–1510) by Piero di Cosimo

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  Noli me tangere (c. 1512) by Titian

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  Mary Magdalene (early 1500s) by Ambrosius Benson

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  Mary Magdalene (1615–1616 or 1620–1625) by Artemisia Gentileschi

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  St Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy (c. 1619–1620) by Peter Paul Rubens

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  Mary Magdalene (1641) by José de Ribera

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  Magdalene with the Smoking Flame (c. 1640) by Georges de La Tour

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  Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene (between 1640 and 1650) by Pietro da Cortona

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  The Magdalene (before 1792) by George Romney

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  Mary Magdalene (1858–1860) by Frederick Sandys

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  Sarah Bernhardt as Maria Magdalena (1887) by Alfred Stevens

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  Christ and Mary Magdalene (1890) by Albert Edelfelt in a Finnish locale

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  The Magdalene (1843) by Carlo Marochetti

See also

In Spanish: María Magdalena para niños

• Cathedral of the Madeleine (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Jesus' interactions with women
• La Madeleine, Paris
• Mary Magdalene, patron saint archive
• Miriai - Mandaean heroine that some equate with Mary Magdalene
• New Testament people named Mary
• Noli me tangere casket
• Saint Sarah
• St. Mary Magdalene's flood
• The Magdalen Reading

Images for kids

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  Fragment of a fourth-century text of the apocryphal Dialogue of the Saviour, in which Mary Magdalene is a central figure

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  Last page of the Gospel of Thomas from Nag Hammadi, containing the account of Jesus' reaffirmation of Mary's authority to Peter

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  Text of the Gospel of Philip from Nag Hammadi

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  Papyrus Oxyrhynchus L 3525, a fragment of the Greek text of the Gospel of Mary

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  In 1279, the monks of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume said they discovered Mary Magdalene's skeleton. The reliquary at St. Maximin, created in the nineteenth century, contains her purported skull.

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  Eastern Orthodox icon of Mary Magdalene as a Myrrhbearer

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  The Three Marys at the Tomb by Peter Paul Rubens, with Mary Magdalene in red

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  Icon of Saint Mary Magdalene depicted as one of the Myrrhbearers with the words "Christ is Risen" in Greek at the top, depicting her discovery of the empty tomb

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  Christ with Martha and Mary (1886) by Henryk Siemiradzki, showing the conflated "composite Magdalene" sitting at Jesus' feet while her sister Martha does chores.