The History of the Church through 100 Masterpieces

The Great Journey of the Saint Marys

The History of the Church 20 The Great Journey of the Saint Marys In times gone by, when religious fervor did not reject, but was open to the marvelous and extraordinary, tradition complemented the Gospels with accounts of the great deeds of those who had walked with Christ. Thus, The Golden Legend, compiled in the thirteenth century by the archbishop of Genoa, Jacobus de Voragine, retraces the adventures of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus, brought back to life by the Savior.* Pagan persecutors set them adrift on the Mediterranean—along with Saint Maximinus, Saint Fronto, Saint Trophimus, and two other Marys—in a small vessel with neither sail nor oar. Miraculously, they arrived at the coast of Provence at today’s Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and set about converting its people. Tradition relates that Martha went to Avignon, and there delivered the town from a dragon called Tarasconus, at a site since then known as Tarascon. Mary Magdalene retired to a “frightful desert” on the cliffs of Sainte-Beaume where she led the solitary life of a hermit for 30 years. Maximinus, as bishop of Aix, received Saint Mary Magdalene’s last breath in the village of Saint-Maximin. Those early years of the church in Provence are reflected in the pilgrimages to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in the convent and cave at Sainte-Beaume, and in the Gothic basilica of Saint-Maximin. Having inspired many artists, they still have a marked presence in the area. Joachim Patinir (ca. 1480–1524) Mary Magdalen, Penitent [background : Pilgrims on the Way to SainteBeaume ] Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon * In The Golden Legend and in some traditions, Mary the sister of Lazarus is also identified as Mary Magdalene. In Protestant and Greek Orthodox tradition , this is not the case; they are viewed as separate individuals. ...