clemens, raymond - the cult of mary magdalen in late medieval france

8/6/2019 Clemens, Raymond - The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France

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THE CU LT OF MARY MAGDALENIN LATE MEDIEVAL FRANCEEdited and t rans lated by Raym ond Clemens

INTRODUCTIONFrom the time of Gregory the Great (590- 604) until the publication ofJacques Lefevre d'Etaples 's De Marie Magdalena (Concerning Mary Magdalen) in 1519, the figure known as M ary Magdalen was actually a compositeof three biblical women: the unnamed sinner in Luke 7 who washed Christ'sfeet with her tears and dried them with her hair, Mary of Bethany (the sister ofMartha and Lazarus ), and Mary Magdalen, the woman to whom Christappeared first after His resurrection. In later medieval legends, Mary Magdalen traveled to Marseille, where she preached to the inhabi tants, convertingthe pagans in sou thern France to Christianity. In separate legends, Maryretreated to a nearby cave and remained in penitent seclusion for thirty ye ars,fasting and being raised daily to sing with the angels. When she died , her bodywas interred by Maximinus, one of her traveling companions, in his basilicawhere it remained unt il the eighth or ninth century, when it was stolen andbrought to Vezelay.

The legends concerning the Magdalen 's voyage to Marseille were mostlikely the creation of the monks of Ve zel ay, an important and prosperousabbey in Burgundy. They hoped to convince doubters th at, although Marywas reputed to have died in Palestine, they nonetheless possessed her relics.The monks at Vezelay were suc cessful in their endeavor; most if not a ll ofwestern Europe believed that the abbey possessed the saint's relics from theelev enth until the late thirteenth century, when a rival claim to possess therelics of the saint arose in the rural town of Saint-Maximin, twenty milesnortheast of Marseille, in Provence , in a shrine entrusted to the Dominicanorder. Both assertions rested on a common history of the saint, fo rmulated inthe mid-eleventh century to substantiate the claims of the monks at Vezelay.In an iron ic tw ist, the legends written by the monks at Vezelay were subtly


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anonymous hagiographer above her reliquary confirming her presence atVezelay.

This ex planation was quickly abandoned in fa vor of mo re convincing stories. According to one account, wri tten in the mid-eleventh century and calledth e Sermo de sancta Mar ia Magdalenae (Text 2), following the stoning of theprotomartyr Stephen, M ary traveled to Marseille where she and her siblingsLazarus an d Ma rth a converted the region to Christianity. When M ary died,she was buried at Aries. M any ye ars later, a knight named Adelelmus was sentby the abbot of Vezelay to Provence, where he found Mary 's body andbrought it to Vezelay under the saint's protection, t hereby authenticating herrelics by dem onstrating th at the saint herself wished to be transla ted.The Sermo was then ab andoned in favor of yet another account of M ary'slife and transla tion ca lled the Vita apostolica and the Translatio posterior(available in translations pu blished el sewhere, see below). According to thisacco unt, M ary travel ed to M arseille with Maximinus, one of the seventydisciple s of Ch rist, and together they converted the region to Ch ristianitythrough thei r preaching. Wh en M ary died, she was buried in Maximinus'sch urc h in Aix in an alabaster sep ulchre with the history of her life depicted insculpted images on its surface. In 745 (or 74 9, accordin g to some accounts),Count Gerart of Burg undy, wish ing to build a monastery in honor of MaryMag dalen at Vezelay, sent a monk named Badilo (0 Provence to obtain somepa rt of her body. Al though Aix had been devastated by the Saracen invasions,Badilo was a ble to locate and identi fy her comb by its unusual material andthe sculpted history on its exterior. O ne night, determined to succeed in hismission he broke off a piece of the tomb and peered at the body inside, w hichhe fou nd to be remarkably preserved. Although the flesh was desiccated, thebody was still covered with skin. He and his party fled with the relics, stopping at Nimes to dismember th body so that it wo uld take up less space andthe the ft wo uld be less likely to be discovered. By the time B dilo's partyarrived at Badilon-su r-Vezelay, a sma ll town outside Vezelay, the body hadbecome too heavy to move and co uld on ly be lifted when the ab bot andmo nk s received it in solemn procession. (I t was a commo n topos in medievalhagiography tha t a sai nt 's body become to o heavy to move unt il it wasreceived with appropriate digniry: th is was one way the body of th e saint continued to express his or her wi il [either to be or not] after death.) The Vitaapostolica and the Translatio posterior were made popula r through theirinclusion in numerous ab brevia ted legendari es incl uding those of Jo hn ofMailly and ]acopo da Voragine, which effectively gathered the many conflicting ve rsions of her life into a single coherent narrative.

By the mid-th ir teenth century, pilgr ims to Vezelay had begun to doubt thepresence of Mary 's body at the abbey because so few of her relics were shownto the pu bli . Their doubts were serious enough to prompt Pope Clement IV(1 265-68) to send his legate Simo n de Brion, th e future Pope Mar t in IV(1281-85), to Vezelay to investigate charges of temporal and spiritual decadence . Realizing their predicament, the monks staged a revelation of the relics

The Cult of Mary 1before thtM ello, biPhilippe.the monksof the saincharter i s ~ After thecoffer, seaops drew I

Two }:bronze coan d a crovtransferreBr ion. In jarm-withthree teethth e monkshand of thfrom the ide Brion gat Sens.

The redistributiodalen's shEdeclined. (Magdalen.IX, who nprovided fstore of rewas in decmonks hacon ly certadoubts abcthat doubtdis tributed

The defor the birSaint-M axlife of Marhis churchrelics fromelement toern Europemythical kbody in an


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ming her presence at

If more convincing sto nth century and calledving the stoning of theIe she and her siblingsity. When M ary died,

Adelelmus was sentd Mary's body and

-by authenticating here translated.ler account of Mary'sTranslatio posterior). According to th isone of the seventy

~ g i o n to Christianityried in M axirnin us 'sf her life depicted into some accoun ts),y in honor of Mary

ence to obtain somee Saracen invasions,usual material andd to succeed in hisbody inside, wh ic h

was desiccated, theith the relics, stopup less space andime Badilo's partyelay, the body haden the abbot andtopos in medievalove until it was

iy of the saint con-r death.) The VitaIar through theirthose of John of

the many conflictegun to doubt therelics were shownPope Clement IVPope Martin IVId spiritual deca

ation of the relics

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Med ieval France 657before the legate's arrival in the presence of two local authorities, Gu y ofMello, bishop of Auxerre (1247-70), and Peter, bishop of Cesaree-dePhil ippe. On the night of Oc tober 4, 1265, in the presence of the bishops andthe monks of the community, a bronze coffer was opened revealing the bonesof th e saint wrapped in silk a long with a great qu an tity of hair and an undatedcharter issued by King Ch ar les the Bald (840-77) authenticating the relics.After the ceremony, the monks returned the silk-covered bones to the bronzecoffer, sealed it, and restored it to its original place. In the morning, the bishops drew up an account of the au thentication, which the monks preserved.

Two years later, on April 24, 1267, the relics were translated from thebronze coffer into a silver reliquary before the papal legate Simon de Brionand a crowd of dignitaries, including Louis IX (1226-70). As they were beingtransferred, some of the relics were given to the king and some to Simon deBrion. In July of the same year, Louis returned one of the saint's arms in anar m-with-hand-shaped reliquary and an upper jaw/cheekbone (gena) withthree teeth in a gilded vessel held by a silver angel. In addition, he presentedtb e monk s with several relics of the passion of Christ, which he encased in thehand of the arm reliquary that had been brought to him by crusaders in 1204from the imper ial treasury at Constantinople. After he became pope, Simonde Brion gave one of these Magda len relics to the bishop and the communityat Sens .

T he relics' authentication in 1265, and their ostentation, translation, anddistribution in 1267, were clearly intended to revive pilgr ima ge to the M agdalen's shrine at Vezelay, which , according to the translation account, haddeclined. On one level, the monks were successful in their claim to possess theM agdalen. Moreover, in 1267, they gained an important royal ally in LouisIX , who not only revealed a personal devotion to M ary Magdalen but alsoprovided fitting jeweled reliquaries for the saint and even added to Vezelay'sstore of relics. However, on another level, it is clear that the cult at Vezelaywas in decline. The 1265 authentication of the relics did not report that themonks had found the body (corpus) of the saint wrapped in silk but, rather,only certain holy relics (quasdam venerandas reliquias). If pilgrims haddou bts about the quantity of the relics before 1265, how much greater mustthat doubt have been after 1267, when several of the remaining relics weredistribu ted to those in attendan ce at the revelation and translation?

The decline of the cult of Mary Magdalen at Vezelay provided ferti le soilfor the birth of the cult at Saint-Maximin. The promoters of the relics atSaint- M aximin appropriated most of the legendary material concerning thelife of M ary Magdalen in Provence and her death and burial by Maximinus inhis church in Aix. They even appropriated the legend of Badilo's theft of therelics from the sarcophagus of Mary Magdalen. They added, however, oneelement to the story which altered the course of M agdalen devotion in western Europe: they contended that in the confusion of the Saracen invasions, amythical king named Odoyno ha d ta ken the precaution of hiding M ary'Sbody in an adjoining m arble sarcophagus. Th us, Badilo could not have taken


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her body, they argued, because it had already been removed from its originalsarcophagus. In this way, the proponents of the cult at Saint-Maximin wereable to preserve most of the Vezelay tradition but claim the body of MaryMagdalen-and thus the power of her relics-for themselves.

The remainder of the documents transl ated in this chapter reflect the various means employed by the Dominicans at Saint-Maximin to support theirclaim to the Magdalen'S body. The first document (Text 3) is the earliestinventio (that is, discovery) account of the relics; it describes the discovery byCharles II of Salerno of the saint's body and the charters authenticating it inthe crypt of the church of Saint-Maximin in Provence on December 9, 1279.

The second account (Text 4) is taken from the Dominican inquisitorBernard Gui's chronicle of the lives of the popes. An ardent supporter of theProven


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oved from its originalSaint-Maximin were

m the body of Maryelves.apter reflect the varimin to support their

3) is the earliest'ibes the discovery bys authenticating it inDecember 9, 1279.ominican inquisitorent Supporter of the?ronicorum between316-34). Althoughery of the relics at

Salim bene de Adamof later chroniclers.Chapters 5,10,41,~ d a l e n , compiled by-28). Organized inns eighty-six mirar averted. The mirSaint-Maximin asnd miracle" (mirt Saint-Maximin.

from execution bythe rd ics at Saintal"). The miraclelengths to which~ r e d to those whoions in SalimbeneMagdalen (transe (ca. 1355).cs at Saint--Maxdemonstrate the

J Saint-Maximinory about a maning. After touch

to perform thefessed his sins.s to mend their

; of miraculousd gra vita tion of

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 659In addition to promoting their own reiics, it was essential that they cast

doubt on the authenticity of their competitors ' relics housed at Vezelay. Miracle number 84 serves to prove that the relics at Vezelay were not those ofMary Magdalen by using the authority of a supernatural power (a demon inthis case) who testifies to their identity.

The final document translated here is the Dominican Legend of MaryMagdalen, written in the second half of the fifteenth century (Text 6). Thisaccount ascribes motives to Cha rles II that cannot be found in any earliersource. Although many of the events it chronicles are anachronistic (forexample, it refers to Charles as king of Sicily in 1279, a title he did not haveuntil his father died in 1285; it confuses Charles's confessor, Peter of Alamon,with the first prior of the convent, William of Tornay; and it places Charles ina Barcelona prison in 1279, although he was no t imprisoned until 1284), itdemonstrates the growth of the legend and the progressive need for greaterand more detailed explanations of how Mary's body was discovered at SaintMaximin.

SOURCES AND FURTHER READINGThe most popular Life of Mary Magdalen in the late Middle Ages is thatincluded in Jacopo da Voragine's Golden Legend. Jacopo 's work includes theTranslatio posterior and several Vezelay miracles. A translation may be foundin Ja cobus de Voragine, The Golden Legend: Readings on the Saints, trans.William Granger Ryan (Princeton, 1993 ), 1: 374-83. The most influentialearly accounts of the saint's biblical life were the sermons of Gregory theGreat, which can be found in Forty Gospel Homilies, trans. David Hurst, Cistercian Studies Series 123 (Kalamazoo, 1990). Another influential Life is thatof Pseudo-Rabanus Maurus found in Th e Life of Saint Mary Magdalen an d ofHer Sister Saint Martha: A Medieval Biography, trans. David Mycoff, Cistercian Studies Series 108 (Kalamazoo, 1989). Some of the materials composedto authenticate the Vezelay relics in 1265-67 are found appended to a translation of Hugh of Poitier's chronicle: The Vezelay Chronicle and Other Docu ments from MS. Auxerre 227 an d Elsewhere, trans. John Scott and JohnWard (Binghamton, 1992), pp. 334-41. Aside from this chapter, the onlymaterial available in English on the Saint-Maximin cult is Salimbene deAdam's account of the discovery of the relics in 1279, which can be found inThe Chronicle of Salimbene de Adam, trans. Joseph Baird, Giuseppe Baglivi,and John Robert Kane (Binghamton, 1986), pp. 530-32.

The most influential work on the cult of Mary Magdalen at Vezelayremains Victor Saxer's Le Culte de Marie Magdeleine en O ccident des orig ines ala fin du moyen age (Paris and Auxerre, 1959). Few modern studies onthe Magdalen'S relics are widely available in English, although several worksare either in preparation or in press. Patrick Geary, Furta Sacra: Thefts ofRelics in the Central Middle Ages, revised edition (Princeton, 1990) discussesaccounts of the theft of the saint's relics from Provence in several places (espe


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cially pp. 108-28 ). Katherine Jansen, Mary Magdalen in the Middle Ages(Princeton, forthcoming) examines the image of M ary M agdalen disseminated by the mendicant orders in the later M iddle Ages. H elen MeredithGarth, Saint Mary Magdalene in M ediaeval Literature (Baltimore , 1950) provides a survey of the literary sources that mention M ary Magdalen. Onimages of Mary Magdalen in art, see Martha Mel dmunds, "La SainteBaume and the Iconography of Mary M agdalene," Gazette des Beaux-Arts114 (1989): 11-28; Susan H askins, Mary Magdalen: Myth and Metaphor(New York, 1993); Marjorie Malvern , Venus in Sackcloth: The Magdalen 'sOrigins and Metamorphoses (Carbondale and Edwardsville, 1975 ).

The Cult of MaryThe Cult of Mary .

I. FROM TENOS. 5471.M any hav idalen, wh(region . BUIble for Gowh ateverthat M arytradict thihave receiIndeed, sh,this place,

On Sacustom, a]small doo]served. Asshe who isexcept Ve:believed tcthere].2 . THE SEliHAG IO GRAThe merqimage andaid of histhrough ttHe create(mankindwere likethroughOlenticed mof their pIends of ttM ary, thflcastle Masuch graogiven, beeter part, U

Whatall wometells, is co


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in the Middle Ages, Magdalen d issemi ges. Helen Meredithia ltimore, 1950) proa r y Magdalen. O n

munds, "La Sainte eUe des Beaux-Artsl.yth and Metaphorth: The Magdalen'sIe, 1975 ).

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 66 IThe Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France

1 . FROM THE ViiZELAY MIRA CLES [BIBLIOTHECA HAGIOGRAPHICA LATINA,NOS. 547I-72PMany have wondered how it was possible that the body of St. Ma ry Mag dalen, who was born in Ju dea, was brough t to Galll fro m slIch a distantregion. But they can be answered in a few wo rds: beca use all th ings are poss i ble for God, an d He did what He wished. It is not difficu lt for Him to dowhatever He pleases for the salvation of men. This ought also to be assertedthat Mary Magd alen does no t fail to punish most of those who doubt or con tradict this. Those who have approached her and confessed their unbe liefhave received salvation through the intercession of Chr ist's co mpanion.Indeed, she makes herself known, often appearing to those she leads to visitthis place, as she appeared to us when we ventured to write this account .

On Saturday, as I p laced the cover ove r the relics after M atins, as is thecustom , an image appeared to me of a virtuous woman standing before thesmall door of the shri ne in which the bones of Chr ist 's co mpani on are preserved. As 1watched her, these wo rds seemed to come from her mo uth: "I amshe who is thought by many to be he re." It also must be noted that no placeexcept Vezelay (as might be expected) is said to have her body and what isbelieved to be there is proven plainly by the power of the miracles [that occurthere] .2. THE SERMO DE SANCTA MARIA MAGDALENAE [BIBLlOTHECAHAGIOGRAPHICA LATINA , NO. 5488]2The mercy of the almighty God, seei ng mankind, whom He had fo rmed in Hisimage and likeness, entangled in diabolical snares, [and] desiri ng to gi ve it theaid of his protection, decided to se nd His only begotten son into the worldthro ugh the incarnation of the divine mystery, with who m and th rough whomH e created all thi ngs, [so thatl by making H im a saved man, H e might leadmankind to a recognition of the tru th. All these things, as the y happened,were like a thundering ev angelic and apostolic trumpet to all the faith fulthroughou t the world. Therefore, among the twelve [Christ] chose, Heenticed many of both sexes to an unders ta nding of the faith so tha t the so undof their p reaching reached into every land and their words progressed to theends of the ear th . From this famous progression [came] ou r protectress, St.M ary, three an d four times blessed, wh o is called Mary of Magdalen from thecastle M agdalo, as we know from the Gospel story. In this sinner, he instilledsuch grace that she deserved to hear from him: your many sins have been for given, because you have loved much [Lk 7:47 ], and Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken fro m her [Lk 10:42 1

Wh at she did in li fe, who m w e know to have been more gl orious amongall wo men, after the death of the Lord, beyond what the evangelic historytells, is considered uncertain to some, where o r with whom she stayed, except


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what one reads in the book 0 the Acts of the Apostles: The apostles remainedtogether in prayer, with the women [Acts 1:14], and so on. Certainly a truthful history of many things has her d part with St. Lazarus, her brother and St .Martha , her sister, during the persecution of the people by the Jews, just as therest of the a postles [did].

Truly she was also the ap ostle of the apostles to those who remained [i.e.,the gentiles] as the apostle says: Because you have rejected the word of Godand judged ti S unworth y, behold we turn to the Gentiles [Acts 13:46]:. Aftershe left the sea port, she came to the outskirts of the city of Marseille, whereshe was strengthened in the company of the remaining saints, with those whowere welcome company, as it is recorded by the inhabitants of that place inthe writings of those ancients and confirmed up to the present by the narra tion of the entire community. She came to Marseille to spread the grace of theword of God to the people. But knowing that it was prohibited for a womanto be heard in public and tha t she should not initiate divine discourse, shegave that work to her brother Lazarus to complete, so that, just as he hadmerited resurrection in spirit and body from Christ the Lord, he should resurrect people to the spiritual life. Afterward, they withdrew to the place theyhad chosen earlier, and persisting in the divine wo rk for a long time, theyca me to the end of this present life with glorious virtues. And having beenbrought to the joys of eternal hfe, they contemplate the face of Him whomthey loved so ardently.

The church of the confessor St . Maximinus, in the bishopric of the abovementioned city in which the bodies of the saints are known to be buried, isstill pointed out [to pilgrims]. The walls of the church, which were built to awonderful size and adorned by their many virtues, still stand decorously,although because of the violence of the Saracens, the territory they conqueredremains ve ry much deserted.

How the relics of blessed Mary Magdalen and those of the most holybishop Maximinus came to the French town of Vezelay ought to be commented on briefly. In the time of the king of the Franks, Carloman ,3 not bychance, but, I imagine, by d iv ine providence, it happened that one day Adalgaire ,4 bishop of the holy church of Autun came to the monastery in Vezelay.Among his liegemen, he brought with him the famous knight Adelelmus. 5Adelelmus wa s the brother of Odo, the devout abbot of Vezelay.6 Then thebi shop , in conversation with the monks, mentioned with wh at great loveMary Magdale n had followed Christ. Waiting until it was appropriate, theknight Adelelmus, drawing out his words with pious sighs, said, "From thetime I was a child I have seen and known the burial place of Mary, whom youvenerate with pious wo rds ." When the abbot Odo heard this, inspired byGod , he fell on his knees to kiss the hands of the bishop and his brotherAdelelmus an d excitedly asked for the relics.

What followed? The ne cessary funds were raised and the monks were chose n al ong with the soldiers who , with Adelel mus, were strong enough to com-

The Cult of Maryplete this V\entire regiefound exc(this , they \Pope Gregbroc!ght tepropheciesthey contilmost precithe bodiesfessor of (were ovenprecIOUS [IGod, a grt:native lanewhose sinthese signsfully to tnsigns, becaBy yOlLord, waslyour belmunity of tb3. T HE SAlIn the yealfirstbornble sepulcof Aix, wi

Durinthe Leof theat nigthe being thHe fo

presencebishops,body ofsame day.


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he apostles remained. Certainly a truth

, her brother and St.y the Jews, just as thewho remained [i.e.,

ed the word of Gods [Ac ts 13:46]. After

of Marseille, whereints, with those whoams of that p lace inresent by the narraread the grace of thehibited fo r a womandiv ine di scourse, shethat , just as he had

he should resurew to the place theyor a long time, theyes . And having beene face of H im whomshopric of the aboveown to be buried, is

which were built to atill stand decorously,ritory they conqueredose of the most holyay ought to be comS, Ca rloman, 3 no t byd that one day Adalonastery in Vezelay,

S knight Adelelmus.5of Vezelay.6 Then theith what great lovewas appropri ate, theighs, said, "From thee of Mary, whom youard this, inspired by

shop and his brotherthe monks were chotrong enough to com-

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 663plete this work. But when they arrived in the city of Aries, they learned that theentire region had been utterly ravaged and deserted, so that no men could befound except the Saracens who had brought this destructio n. After hearingthis, they were greatly disturbed, [but] at length they reca lled the thoughts ofPope Gregory, saying: "Let us always will to do good works, for they will bebrought to completion through divine intervention."7 Strengthened by hisprophecies, [and] also relying on the prayers of both the bishop and the abbot,they continued their journey and came to the place in which was hidden themost precious treasure of the bodies of the saints. But as they quickly gatheredthe bodies of the most glorious Mary Magdalen and blessed Maximinus, confessor of Christ, a great number of Saracens came upon them. Suddenly theywere overcome with terror and called on the protection of the saints whoseprecious relics they carried in their hands. Because of the helping mercy ofGod, a great cloud appeared among them, lasting until they withdrew to [their]native lands and arrived at a welcome place of defense. Our protectress Mary,whose sins had been washed away at the pious font, obtained this for us. Afterthese signs of her powers were revealed, the monks of Vezelay came successfully to the place, where afterward the saint was made known by her manysigns, because she was the one who wiped away her guilt with [her] hair.By your intervention, 0 Lady, who merited to be called the beloved of theLord, wash away the various crimes of our sins. Let it pleasing to our Lord,your beloved, that He restore us to God H is father, with whom He lives in theunity of the Ho ly Spirit, forever, Amen.3. T HE SAINT- M Ax IMI N INVENTI ON AND TRANSLATIO N ACCOUNTS In the year of the Lord 1279, on the ninth day of December, the Lord Charles, firstborn son of the king of Sicily and Jerusalem ,9 found a document in a marble sepulcher that had been opened by him at Saint-Maximin , in the diocese of Aix, which states:

During the reign of Odoyno, most pio us king of the Franks, in the year ofthe Lord 700, on the sixteenth day of the month of December, this bodyof the precious and venerable blessed Mary M agdalen was moved secretlyat night from her ala baster sepulchre into this marb le [sepulcher] (oncethe body of Sidonius10 was moved) so that it might be better hidden during the invasions of that treacherous people, the Saracens.He fo und another document on the fifdl of May in the year 1280 in the

presence of the archbishops of Na rbonne, Aix, and Aries, and many otherbishops, abbots, and monks in the same sepulcher, which states: "Here lies thebody of blessed Mary Magdalen." And her revelation is celebrated on thesame day.


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4- FROM BER NARD Gur, FLORES CHRONICORUM [BIBLlOIHECAHAGIOGRAPHICA LATINA , O. 55 06]"On the ninth of December in the year of the grac of Jesus Christ 1279, in tha ttown-w hich by papal designation is now called Sain t-Maximin -PrinceCharles, son of King Charles of Sic ily, count of Provence, and la ter king ofSicily, searched with great care and devotion for the body of St. Mary Magdalen in the holy oratory in which St. Maximinus (one of the seventy-two disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and firs t bishop of Aix) once entrust d herbur ial, wh ich is related widely in ancient and au thentic histories . Onc he hadopened all the tombs that lay on both sides of the crypt in the oratory, thegouged-out earth rem aining in the middle, with a strong fragrance, as if astorehous e of weet spices had been opened, [and] with subsequent signs andmany glorious mi.racles, the holy body of the most sacred Ma gdalen was d iscovered. It was not in the alabaster tomb in which she had firs t been bur iedand which is still the re, identi fied by the written descriptions of it and by thesculpted images [on the surface of the sarcophagus ], but in another tomb inthat same place, made of marble from the region, placed to the right of thoseentering the cryp t. Clearly seen with their own eyes by all who were presentadmiring [her] was a root with a mall branch of fennel, stuck in her throat,which emerged from her most sacred tongue (still in h r head ), and extendedfrom the body at some length. And I who write this have often heard from thefa ith ful and devout report of others that a divided root with a small branch isurrently used in various places for tbe preservation of certain relics.

In testimony of the evident truth, in the same tomb next to the sacredbody there wa s also found a very ancient charter, enclosed in wood to pro tectit from p utrefaction , containing this writing:

During the reign of Odoyno, most pious king of th Franks, in the year oftbe Lord 700, on the sixteenth day of the month of December, th is bodyof the precious and venerable blessed Mary Magdalen was moved secretlyat night from her ala baster sepu lcher into this marble [sepulcher] (oncethe body of SidonluS wa s moved ) so that it might be better hidden duringthe invasions of tha t treacherous people, the Sa racens.

I who w ite this read this most anc ient charter and saw it there, preservedin the sacristy, in te timony of the truth .Having mo st diligently examined all the things discovered [in the crypt],

the prince and count Charles (later king of Sici ly ) called together the archbishops of Narbonne, ArIes, and Aix, and many other bishops, abbo ts, andmonks, and his nobles with the clergy and the assembled peop le. On theappointed day (i .e., Ma y 5, 1280), he raised the sacred body of blessed MaryMagdalen from [the crypt] and placed it, with fitting honor, in a s mptuousreliquary, which he prepared, made of gold, silver, and precious stones. Herhead was afterward enclosed in a most precious case of pure gold and ve ryprecious stones, constructed with wonderful and fitting craftsmanship. Th e

The Cult of Mary Ma:place wheremanifest miranother veryin wax and ,body of b l e s ~

It is evidousy of the clies, whose l:the saints. Mdes that thecount of Bunlay, which hLeo m )13 anthe writing rda len, if fittithat body h.into anotherfrom it. Theuncovered amanifest thamonly broabody was ne[it was a tral

The revblessed Mardiocese ofNicholas IIIthat same pi

In that Iored to coning the marBoniface VIdalen and trMaximinusand Marcelthe womb tsame kingand he gavcelebrate th5. S ELECTIC[BIBLIOTH

(5.) An,A mantained this


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EVAL HAGIO GR A PH Y

THECA

IS Chr ist 1279, in thatint -Maximin-PrinceICe, and later king of)dy of St. Mary M agif the seventy-two dis() once entrusted heristories. Once he had

pt in the oratory, theg fragrance, as if asubsequent signs an dM agdalen was dis

had first been buriedtions of it and by thet in another tom b inj to the right of thoseall who were present, stuck in her throat ,head), and extendedoften heard from theim a small branch isa i n relics.

b next to the sacredin wood to protec t

ranks, in the year ofDecember, this body

was moved secretl yble [sepulcher] (oncebetter hidden du rin gs.

W it there, preservedered [in the cryp t],gether the archbishishops, ab bots, an d

bled people . O n theody of blessed M aryoor, in a sumptuous

precious stones. He rpure go ld and verycraftsmanship. The

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 665place where the head an d body are preserved is venerated an d revealed bymanifest miracles. The same Charles with th e prelates then found in the tombanother very ancient script on a charter, whose exterior was entirely coveredin wa x and whose antiquity made it difficult to read. It said: "Here lies thebody of blessed Mary Magdalen."

It is evident from the aforementioned, without dispute, hostility, or jealousy of the one judging, where on earth the body of St. Mary M agdalen trulylies, whose blessed spirit enjoys the eternal vision of God in heaven with allthe saints. Moreover, although it is said in many places and written in chronicles that the sacred body of blessed M ary M agdalen was translated by Gerart,count of Burgundy, from her sepulchre of alabaster to the monastery at Vezelay, which he had built, in the time of Constantine V12 (son of the emperorLeo III)13 and Pope Zachary14 in the year 745, it appears more clearly fromthe writing placed above, which was found next to the body of St. Mary Magdalen, if fitting faith ought to be applied to it, that twenty-five15 years earlierthat body had been moved from her sepulchre of alabaster and transportedinto another sepulchre of marble after the body of Sidonius had been removedfrom it. The recent deeds of Prince Charles (as just mentioned) and truth,uncovered and revealed by such evident signs, clearly indicate and faithfullymanifest that the translation of the body of the M agdalen to Vezelay, commonly broadcast and written, is no t able to be truly accepted because herbody was no t then in the sepulchre of alabaster where it was first placed, but[it was a translation] of some other body or perhaps some part of her body.

Th e revelation, discovery, and translation of th e sacrosanct body ofblessed Mary Magdalen was celebrated in the town of Saint-Maximin in thediocese of Aix, on May 5, 1280, in the third and last year of the pontificate ofNicholas III,16 and therefore it was established that it should be celebrated inthat same place by future generations on that same day.

In that place, in the years following, Charles, now king of Sicily, endeavored to construct and establish a convent of preaching brothersY After removing the monks of Saint-Victor of M arseille from there, by the order of PopeBoniface VIII18 in 1295, [he established] a church in honor of St. Mary Magdalen and the many other saints whose remains lay in the oratory-that is, Sts.Maximinus, Sidonius (the man born blind and healed by Christ in the Gospel),and Marcella, handmaid of St. Martha, wh o said to the Lord Christ, Blessed bethe womb that carried you, and the breasts that sustained you [Lk 11:27]. Thesame king ordered a great and beautiful [church] to be built with royal funds,and he gave the place as much in books as in jewels and precious ornaments tocelebrate the worship of God, according to princely magnanimity.5. SELECTIONS FROM TH E B OOK OF M IRACLES OF BLESSED M AR Y M AGDALEN[BIBLIOTHECA HAGIOGRAPHICA LATINA, NO.5 s rOP9

(5.) Another miracle concerning prisoners.A man named Raymond from th e city of Uzes reported (and he maintained this under oath) that [after] he visited the relics of blessed Mary Mag


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dalen in Saint-M aximin, he passed through M arseille where he hap x :ned tomeet a man named Stephen. When he heard that Raymond had visited therelics of the above-mentioned saint in Saint-Maximin and that he had kissedher arm there, Steph en erupted irreverentl y with invective against the saint,asserting an d affirming that the Magdalen did no t lie in Saint-M aximin andthat what he had kissed there was no t the arm of the Magdalen but the bonesof an ass or some other animal. The pilgrim rebuked the detractor, saying tohim "i f the inquisitors knew this, they would punish you wh en they had heardwhat you said, which seems to sound sacrilegious. " That blasphemer not on lyrepeated what he had said bu t also belched forth more words of ab use. Nolonger able to patiently endure those insults against the saint for whom he hada singular devotion no r the detraction of that place in which the body of thesaint (he believed) certainly lay, Raymond attacked the blasphemer with h issword. By inflicting several wounds on his body, he deprived Stephen of hislife, of which he was no t worthy because of the blasphemy h e had unfairlyhurled at the saint. He fled quickly to Saint-Gilles, supposing th at he was safethere from the court of M arseille, bu t was cap tured some days later. D uringthe time he was held prisoner in Saint -G illes, he turned with great faith toMary Magdalen for her intercession. Mindful of his vow, she consoled him inprison by appear ing to him with a great company of diverse persons and withgreatest clarity. At length he was led from that prison and taken to Marseille,where he was sentenced to death by hanging. And although , as is the customin such things, his eyes were veiled, he was a ble to see everyth ing as if he hadno blindfold or impediment over his eyes. And when he ascended the scaffold,a voice from heaven said to him repeatedly: "D o no t be afraid! Do not beafraid !" With great devotion, Raymond commended his spirit and soul toMary M agdalen.H e was hanged, and although he had no bodily support while hanging inthe gallows, he suffered no injury. And when the messengers of the court, whowere separate from all the others present at the scaffold, withdrew, the stonepillars of the scaffold totally collapsed. And although the wood that transversed the scaffold was solid and appeared new, it had been split through themiddle. The hanged man walked away alive and healthy, having no injury;divine virtue had protected him and kept him safe through the merits of theMagdalen. Those who had left, seeing an d considering the miracle, returnedimmediately, gave thanks to God and the Magdalen, released Raymond andpermitted him to go free ou t of reverence for the saint.

That man went immediately to Saint-M aximin and gave thanks to his liberato r. H e narrated to all the miracle, which had been worked in him throughdivine power by her merits, and presented himself as a servant of the Magdalen at her shrine . . .

(10.) Concerning the touch of the relics against impurity.There was a man who, although lewd and unclean in body, was nonetheless moved by devotion to come to Saint-M aximin to visit the relics of blessed

M ary Magdalen. At the time, he wore a ring which (out of devotion) he

The Cult of Mary!touched t([to Saint-1virtue orthat manhe compie

W hentomed, hfamazed , ;:vented hirwas wearthe man rhad toudwoman'shad] at 0and wishunable to

RetUlhim andM aximinness formany teamendingattemptelconfessiowhich haring (thethe Mag(Andit is homthat thesto his comatter,cle knowtation ofthe devo(41.

Att!togetherto revealwas amby paralreve/atia

Andwife ancon it, tr


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668 MEDI EVAL H AGIOG RAPHYmoment of th e revelat ion arrived, all those present celebra ted with devotionand reverence, [and] the infirm man directed his continual prayers to God andblessed M ary M agdalen. Bu t because of his many sins, or perhaps because hedid not have as steadfast a faith and as complete a hope as he ought, he didnot ob tain from her the complete heal ing he asked for but, instead, gain edonl y the a bil ity to move his han ds and feet . In the rest of his body he remainedas powerless as before.

After returning to Ma rseille in the cart, he remained iniirm for five years.Because he was troubled in his soul by the torments and afflictions he enduredcontinually, he came to understand and believe th at the wonders that he hadheard concerning the Magda len were true and that he ought to return to hermore devotedly and confidently than he had the first time. With greater confidence and firmer faith , he began to implore the aid of the Magda len repeatedly wi th his whole heart, promising her and God to return to Saint-Maximinto visit her relics.

Wonderful thing! M arvelous and stupendous to all ! Immed ia tel y after heuttered his vow, tha t man, who for almost seven ye ars had been so oppressedby illness that he was unable to move, began to rise of his own power, andsupported by two crutches he began to walk, nor did he allow himself anydelay but began his journey to Saint-Max imin with the aid of the crutches.The closer he came to the place where the body of the Magdalen is, so muchthe greater did he p rceive the power of God and the Magdalen aid ing him, sothat as soon as his feet touched the terr itory of Saint-Maximin, his limbsreceived the power of God and the help of the Magdalen to such an extenttha t he put aside one of his crutches [and] was able to walk with the aid ofonly one [of them] .

W hen next he con fidently entered the church in Sa int-Maximin, in whichthe body of the saint lies, and gave himself completely in prayer with manytea rs and great devotion, the divine power strengthened all that man's limbs,so that each was restored to its original function. That man, fully an d perfectly cured by God through the merits of the Magdalen, gave praise to Godand the Magdalen, as he ought, and he left the car t (in which he was firstbrought ) and the crutches (with which he came the second time) in the sameplace in the church as testimony to the miracle.

(84.) Concerning diverse things that happened, were revealed, or said, ordone to the honor, praise , and glory of blessed Mary Magdalen.A bro ther who lectured on theology to the canons in Lyon and who was

the lector of the Dominicans in Lausanne narra ted this miracle to Jean Gob i,then the pr ior of Saint-Maximin, to Brother Raymond Ba rtho lomei, prior ofthe D min icans in Marseille, and to Brother Rostan of Sapal,'ono, also aDominican, while they were traveling to Metz to the general chaptermeeting. 20Th is brother was presen t when these thjngs happened that are narrated below, and he both saw and heard them.There was a time when those who ru le and watch over the ch urch inVezelay gave some relics- so they claimed- to the Preach ing Brothers in Lau-

The Cult of Mary :tvsanne, statclaimed-ttion becamThe broth imight belilbelief that

The bring firmly tthat not onthey believithose fromties, or we :brothers wdalen wouthrough tbdevotion gPreachingall. Amonlbrought [t ipresence athe relics cniac, h o p i ~ be able to

Therethe sacristadjure theWhen the"Brother,you are S2th rough byou leavebrotherstandingresponde(what youyou-yorelics of tI

Heariwere therbrothers I6. THE D[B IBLIOT

Womhis apost]
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ated with devotionprayers to God andperhaps because heas he ought, he didJut, instead , gaineds body he remainedfirm for five years.

flictions he enduredOnde rs that he hadht to return to herWith greater connMagda len repeatto Saint-Maximinmediately after hebeen so oppressed

is own power, andallow himself anyid of the crutches.gdalen is, so muchalen aiding him, so.1aximin, his limbs

to such an extentalk with the aid of

aximin, in whichprayer with ma nyI that man's limbs,an, fully and perave praise to God

which he was firsti rime) in the same

vealed, or said, oralen.yon and who wasad e to Jean Gobi,tholomei, pr ior ofSaparona, also a

e general chapterened that are narer the church in

g Brothers in Lau-

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 669sanne, stating that they were from the body of the Magdalen, which-theyclaimed-they had in their church.21 Perhaps they were moved by this intention because many doubted whether they had the body of the saint in Vezelay.The brothers, who preach the words of God in diverse parts of the w r l d ~ might believe better, and in their preaching they might induce others to thebelief that the body of the Magdalen was tru ly in Vezelay.

The brothers gratefully received the gift with both joy and devotion, believing firmly that it was thus; and the relics were accepted with such great devotionthat not only those brothers, but also through all that country and roundaboutthey believed for certain that they were from the body of the M agdalen becausethose from Vezelay firmly asserted it. An d all who had fevers or other infirmities, or were bothered by whatever sort of troubles, came to the church of thebrothers with devotion and faith hoping that, in their needs , blessed Mary M agdalen would not deny her aid. The relics were promoted to such an extentthrough that region in the church of the brothers, by reason of those relics,devotion grew in those brothers so that they were no longer known by the namePreaching Brothers but, rather, were commonly called Magdalen Brothers byall. Among those who sought the blessed sain t's help, there was a personbrought [to the shrine] by parents and friends, who was gravely vexed by thepresence of a demon. Once in the church of the Dominicans, friends asked thatthe relics of the Magdalen, which the brothers had , be presented to the demoniac, hoping that the demon w ho inhabited the body of that person would notbe able to resist the power of the saint, nor end ure the presence of her relics.

Therefore, at the urging of the demoniac's friends, the brother who wasthe sacristan carried the relics, presented them to the demon iac, and began toadjure the demon by the power of the M agdalen, whose relics were there.When the demon heard this, he responded to the brother with these words:"Brother, what are you saying? What are you saying? Brother, consider whatyou are saying!" The brother then said to him mo re strongly: "I adjure youth rough blessed Mary Ma gdalen, the re lics of whose body we have here, thatyou leave this body and do not vex it any more!" Then in the presence of thatbro ther who narrated this to the brothers mentioned above, and of all thosestanding there, with a certain indignation, and as if with anger, the demonresponded within the hear ing of all : "Certainly, brother, you do not knowwhat you say or even what you are talking about, indeed I say even more toyou- you truly speak falsely because there is nothing there of the body orrelics of the Magdalen, and t hat is why I will not leave trus person!"

Hearing these wo rds with grea t amazement and wonder, all those whowere there were forced to believe that the body in Vezelay from which thebro thers had received the rel ics was no t the M agdalen's.6. THE DOMINICAN LEGEND OF ST. M A RY MAGDALEN AT SAINT-MAxIM IN[BIBLIOTHECA HAGlOGRAPHICA LATINA , NO . 5 5I 2 ]2.2.Wonderful and glorious in his saints [Ps 67:36], God is most glorious inhis apostle and representative, the exemplar of penitence, blessed Mary Mag
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dalen whose many sins were forgiven because she loved much [L k 7:47] . TheLord who gives generously to all and does not reproach Gas 1:5] bestowed thegifts of grace in the life and death of the notorious sinner he made a penitent.For who has sought the aid and patronage of the holy penitent-sinner andgreat lover of ou r Lord Jesus Christ and devotedly run to her for help whowas not listened to and freed from whatever difficulties held him? And certain ly I will plainly recount for the glory of the almighty God and the pra iseand si ngular devotion of St. Ma ry Magdalen a matter new and worthy ofcommendat ion , and I will reve al a great miracle.

For in the year 1279, when Charles II, famous king of Jerusalem andSicily and count of Provence, was captured by the king of Aragon in a navalbattle and cruelly bound and held in an iron ce ll, his freedom and absolutionfrom such harsh chains was not hoped for by prayer, price, or any human su ppor t. 23 When the vigil of glorio us Mary Magdalen came, he was pe rs uaded byhis confessor, Ma ster William of Tornay, pro fessor of sacred theology-whowas inspired by divine grace-[to observe] the vigil with great desire, devotion, and purity of heart. Having made sacramental and beneficial confession ,the king fasted, and after he heard a long collatio n and sermon from theabove-mentioned spiritual father, he recalled the most sacred body in VillaLata, now called Saint-Maximin, and the place of the saint's penance, calledBalma, which was in his pro vince, and [he recalled] the translation of thebody of th is most holy saint to the duchy of Burgundy. He was complete lyconfident of her m rits, which were so great because she undertook her penitence in the region of Provence and renounced the life of preaching the gospel.He devoted himself to tally to her from the bottom of his hear t and with aclean conscience, he begged her fo r aid and support.

Then in a dream in the middle of the night, when all things held theirsilence [Wis 18: 14], the mos t pious St. Ma gdalen, consoling her devotee withher most sweet presence, rou sed him from his dream with a sonorous delightful voice an d said to him, "0 my devotee, what do you seek from me, or whatdo you want me to do ?" He said to her, "0 most merciful and sweet lady,because I am destitute of all human hope and under the most cruel detentionin th is prison, you are my only confidence. 0 sweet pat ron, free me. For allthings are possible for you with God ." The most blessed Mary Magdalenanswered, "Your prayer has been heard. Rise quickly and follow me." Thefamous king said to her, "0 venerable lady, pray for the company establishedunder cap tivity." The M agdalen responded, "Your prayers have been heard. "And taking his han d, she liberated him from the prison with h is servants andset them free.

A little while later, the glorious Magdalen asked the king where he was.And when he supposed he was still in the palace of Barcelona, th e saint said,"You are about three miles from Narbonne, where the body of blessed PaulSergi us, disciple of the apostle Paul lies." From whe nce the king, delighted byhis liberation and restoration and desiring to be mor e certain of whom to givefitt ing thanks, asked the woman whether she was blessed Ma ry Magdalen.

The Cult of Mary MShe responeking thankerepresentatiamong maltence, whoof your heapraise shallmerab le gifunable to 0you."

Then SIbecause yOpeople thatnot in Buqbeside the gthe same clMarcella arbirth, whicllated it frO!infidels. Anwhich willcover the,blessed Mexcept on ting, 'Do njaw, you Wblood of Cperpetual rinto ashes,Jesus ChrisI obtained.green leavshown toSaint-Maxdivine cultreverence f,(since I wa:of Balma,that theseremovingthe pope afeast ofthat my ofself compers, p r o c l ~


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IAL HAGIOGRAPHY

uch [Lk 7:47 ]. The; 1 5] bestowed the.e made a peni tent.,enitent-sinner and.) her for help whoteld him? And cer::;od and the praiseew and worthy ofof Jerusalem andAragon in a navalm and absolutionor any human supwas persuaded byed theology-whoreat desire, devo

neficial confession,sermon from the

cred body in Vi llat's penance, calledtranslation of the-Ie was completelyndertook her penieaching the gospel.

heart and with a

I things held their9 he r devotee withsonorous delightfrom me, or whatul and sweet lady,ost cruel detentioni l , free me. For alld Mary Magdalen

follow me." Thempany establishedhave been heard ."th his servants an ding where he was.

ana, the saint said,dy of blessed Pa ulking, delighted byin of whom to giveMary Magdalen.

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 67 1She responded, "Indeed J am, and I obtained your liberation from God." Theking thanked her and spoke to her with these sweet words: "0 most sweetrepresentative and apostle of Jesus Christ, who merited to se e Christ firstamong mortals after His resurrection fro m the dead! 0 exemplar of penitence, who washed H is feet wi th frequent tears and dried [them] w ith the hairof your head! 0 most sweet lady! 0 my sale hope! 0 most holy patron, whatpraise sha ll I offer you? What can I do for your glory? Becau se of the innumerab le gifts I have received from you, I know without doubt that I amunable to offer fitti ng acts of thanks. Nonetheless I devote myself totally toyou. "

Then St. Magdalen said, "1 assign this to you , and I demand it of youbecause you be lieve. You must demonstrate to the pope and the Christianpeople that my body is in Villa La ta (which is now called Saint-Maximin ), andnot in Burgundy. You will find my body in the church of Saint-Maximin,beside the great altar, to the right of the altar, in the tomb, next to which lie, inthe same church, the bodies of Sts. Maximinus, Blasius, Sifredus, and Sts.Marcella and Susanna. Be lieving that the body of blessed Sidonius, blind frombirth, which lay in my tomb, was mine, Addonus ,24 king of the Franks translated it f:rom Provence to the region of Burgundy after the expulsion of theinfidels. And so that you will be more certain, you will find the bark of a treewhich will never decompose above my to mb, an d in the bark you will discover the writing of blessed Maximinus that says, 'Here lies the body ofblessed Mary M agdalen.' Yo u will also find my bones, destitute of flesh,except on the part of my head where our Lord Jesus Christ touched me saying, 'Do not to uch me,' after his glorious resurrection. Also, beside my leftjaw, you will find a small crystal jar, in which is the earth soaked with theblood of Christ, which I gathered du ring his passion and carried with me inperpetual remembra nce. Yo u will also find the hairs of my head transformedinto ashes, except for th ose wh ich touched the feet of our most ho ly LordJesus Christ when, by crying with tears and drying with the hairs of my head,I ob tained remission of my sins. You will also discover the palm branch withgreen leaves, proceeding from my mouth. God wishes that all these things beshown to the Christian people to in crease faithful devotion in the place ofSaint-Maximin where my body Lies. And because the church is poor, and thedivine cult is ce lebrated there with li ttle propriety, you will order to be built inreverence for me a convent and a ch urch of brothers of the Order of Preachers(since I was an apostle), an d you w ill endow and magnify [them] with the caveof Balma, in whi ch I completed my penitence. God arranged and ordainedthat these monasteries are to be ruled a nd governed by the Dominicans (afterremoving the monks), and you wi ll cause those monasteries to be united bythe pope and gathered together for the Order of Preachers. You will cause thefe ast of my translation to be celebrated and solemnized, and you will orderthat my office be arranged to be spoken by those same friars." (The king himse lf composed that office, wh ich begins: "Yo ur servants, sons, [and] preachers, proclaim you with unceasing voice: Holy, Holy Holy." And ends:


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MEDI EVA L HAGIOGRAPH Y

"Therefore, come to the aid of your sons, thos whom you have chosen asyour servants." ) After these things were assigned to the fam ous king by theglorious saint, she disappeared, leaving him much consoled.

With dawn breaking, the king with his company saw the most nob le cityof Narbonne about two miles distant. There he made himself a vow to erect across on that road (to wh ich blessed Mary Magdalen had led the king and hiscompany), and it was done and today is ca lled the cro s of Leuca.25And whenhis arrival came to the attention of the archbishop of Narbonne, his clergy,and the illustrious viscount of Narbonne, and the whole ci ty, they rushed tomeet the king in procession and received him into the city and palace withhonor. H e told them his solemn story and grand miracle, and he buil t a chapelin honor of St. Mary Magdalen in the palace.

At last he took with him the most reverend archb ishops of Narbonne,ArIes, and Aix, the bishops of Avignon, Marseille, and Sisteron, many otherprelates, and his confessor [William of Tomay], and he set himself to theadvancement of the veneration of glorious Mary Magdalen. He arr ived at theplace of Saint-Maximin, and after fasting and offering up prayers, the pio usking and his prelates dug in the place revealed to the king and at length found,with the greatest fragrance, the most sacred body of St. Mary Magdalen withthe foretold signs. In that place, the Lord displayed and demonstrated manysigns and great miracles fo r the praise and glory of his apostle and belovedconfidan t, as is demonstrated more clearly and in greater detail in the bulls ofher revelation, which the seals of the most reverend prelates prove.

After the most sacred body was revealed and the monks were expelledfrom Saint-Maximin and Sainte-Baume by the promise and will of the pope ,the king, following the divine will revealed to him by blessed Mary Magdalen,placed the preaching brothers (dedicated to preaching the Gospel and fo llowing the apostolic life) in the said places and united th m under the Order ofPreachers, and for these places, which were small and poor at that time, themost merciful king gave appropriate compensation to the monks of Saint-Vic tor and the nuns of Saint-Zacharie.

He began [to build] and completed the greater part of a church with aconvent in Saint-Maximin, wonderfully sumptuous in its structure and royalwork. He offered gold and silver ve ssels and other ornaments to the prior andbrothers of the convent and gave a most genero us sum from the proceedsfrom the gab elIe26 of Nice for tbe sustenance of the Dominicans, the completion of that church and convent, and the enlargement of several others in theregion of Provence. He instituted and ordained the number of Dominicanbrothers living there under the prior at one hundred. By the holy and re ligiousauthori ty of the highest pontiff, be made his confessor the first prior, who wasdivinely chosen and preordained. Tha t holy king commanded (by hi orderand the approval of the highest pontiff) that the office of St. Mary Magdalenbe said devotedly and piously, as much in the dormitory as in the choir, nightand day, by the prior and the present and fu ture brothers for the praise andglory of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the honor of St. Mary Magdalen, by

The Cult of Marywhose mAmen.

NOTE S1. Pari l2. Baol

tora t de Mi145-47.3. Carl4. Bishl5. TO6. Abb,7. Th is

M ary Ma ge123 (Kalam8. Paris9. Chartion to disc(factor, gainifoundation (10. AceSidonius walwith M ary N

11. Pari12. Em !13. Leostantine V (s

14. POP15. Be r16. Popdenied the piPope Bo nifa17. TheDominic (ca.1241) in 121was preachipraedicatorw18. POpt19 . .Jacqdalenae, " A201-3.20 . The21. TheMary M agda

22. Be rnpp .28-34.23. On(1276-85) buprising in 5ieated by POptport of the Abecame king1284; a battllon January 7.prison. O n 0fro m Pope Nfreed Ch a rles
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m have chosen asImous king by thehe most noble city:If a vow to erect a!d the king and h is"euca.25 And whenbonne, his clergy,

ity, they rushed toy and palace wi thd he built a chapelops of Narbonne,teron, many otherset himself to the. He arrived at theprayers, the piousd at length found,ry Magdalen withmons tra ted manyostie and beloved

etail in the bulls ofprove.

nks were expelledd will of the pope,

Mary Magdalen,;ospel and followder the Order ofr at that time, the0M S of Saint-Vicf a church with atructure and royalts to the prior and

from the proceedsicans, the complev e r a l others in theber of Dominicanholy and religiousrst prior, who wasded (by his order

t. Mary Magdalenin the choir, nightfor the praise and

ary Magdalen, by

The Cult of Mary Magdalen in Late Medieval France 673whose merits and prayers we will be able to arrive in the heavenly kingdom.Amen.

NOTES 1. Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, MS latin 5296B , p. 142.2. Baoudouin de Gaiffier, "H agiographie Bourguignonne: A propos de la these de doctorat de M. Ren e Louis sur Giran , comte de Vienne," Analecta Bo llandiana 69 (1951):145-47.3. Carloman II reigned from 879 until 884.4. Bishop AJa lgaire of Autun served from 875 until 893.5. No biographical information is availab le on Adelelmus.6. Abbot Odo of Yez elay (827- 911 ).7. This slightly altered fragmenr is taken from Gregory the Great's Easter sermon onMary Magdalen. See Forty Gospel Homilies, trans. David Hurst, Cistercian Studies Series123 (Kalamazoo, 1990), p. 157.8. Paris, Bibliotheque na tionale, MS nouvelle acquisition latine 2672, fo. 3r.9. Charles II was count of Provence and king of Sicily from 1285 until 1309. In addition to discovering the Magdalen's relics in 1279, he was Saint-Maximin's primary benefactor, gaining papal approbat ion for the relics in 1295 and providing money for thefo undat ion of a Dominican convent.10. According to Jacopo da Voragine's Golden Legend (itse lf based on earlier te xts ),Sidonius was the man born blind and given sight by Jesus who later traveled to Marseillewith Ma ry M agdalen and Maximinus.11. Paris, Bibliotheque nationale, MS nouve lle acquisition latine 1171, fols. 99r-100r.12. Emperor Constantine V reigned from 741 until 775.13. Leo III was emperor from 717 to 741; from 720 to 741 h e ruled with his son, Constanrine V (see previous note).14. Pope Zachary served from 741 until 752.15. Bernard corrected his mistake in later editions of the Flores to forty-five years.16. Pope Nicholas i l l served from 1277 until 1280. Nicholas never confirmed ordenied the presence of the Magdale n's relics at Saint-Maximin; they were authenticated byPope Boniface VIII in 1295.17. TIle Dominican order (Ordo Fratrum Praedicatorum), was founded by St.

Dominic (ca . 11 70-1221) and approved by Pope Honorius III (who se rved from 1227 until1241) in 1216. f ounded to help stem the threat of Catharism, the order's pr imary missionwas preaching; the members were commonly known as "preaching brothers" (fratrumpraedicatorum)18. Pope Boniface vm served from 1294 until 1303.19. Jacqueline Sclafe r, "Iohannes Gobi senior OP, Li ber miraculoru m b. Mariae Magdalenae," Archivum Fratrum Praedicatorum 63 (1993 ): 143-45, 149-50, 171 -72, and201-3.20. The Dominican general ch apter meeting was held in Metz dur ing Pentecost, 1313 .21. The Dominican house at Lausanne was founded in 1234 under the name of St.Mary Magdalen.22. Bernard Montagnes, Marie Madeleine et l'ordre des precheurs (Marseille, 1984),pp.28-34 .23. On Charles ll, see note 9 above. Charles was at war with King Peter of Aragon(1276-85) because Peter had accepted the crown offered by the Sicilians in 1283 after theuprising in Sicily known as the Sicilian Vespers (Ma rch 30,1 28 2). Peter was excommunicated by Pope Martin IV (the former Simon de Brion) who was elected with the strong sup port of the Angevin Charles I (who reigned from 1246 until ] 285), Charles U's father, whobecame king of Sici ly in 1266. Charles U was captured by Peter in a battle at sea on June 5,1284; a battle he had been warn ed ro avoid by his father. Charles I died shortly thereafter,on January 7, 1285, and his son became count of Provence and ki ng of Sicily while still inprison. O n October 4, 1288, a treaty negotiate d by Edward I of England (u nder pressurefrom Pope N icholas IV) with Al phonse III of Aragon (who reigned from 1285 unt il J291)freed Charles but required him to mortgage three of his sons (one of whom was the future


21/21

I

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MEDIEVAL HAGIOGRAPHY

St. Louis of Toulouse) as ransom for his own release; Charles's children were not freed until1295.24. There was no King Addonus; perhaps the author of this legend has confused KingOdoyno, who was reputed to have translated the Magdalen 's relics from her alabastertomb to Sidonius's marble one in the early eighth century, with Count Girart, who foundedthe monastery of Vezelay and ordered the relics translated from Provence to Vezelay. InParis, Bibliotheque nationale, MS nouvelle acquisition latine 2672, a later scribe hasrubbed out" Addonus, king of the Franks," and written" Girart, Count of Burgundy."25. The cross was located on the road from Narbonne to Beziers (Montagnes, MarieMadeleine, p. 33, note 17 [see note 22 above]).26. This was a form of salt tax.

CHAPTET HR ]L IVE.Edited (

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clemens, raymond - the cult of mary magdalen in late medieval france

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