Abbey of Sainte Marie Madeleine

Journey of the Apostle of the Apostles

Though the story has since become apocryphal, there is little doubt among the Monks in Sainte Marie's Abbey that Mary Magdalene traveled to Francia. Having witnessed Jesus' crucifixion and resurrections, and driven by her mourning, faith, and reclaimed wealth, she traveled from the site at Golgotha and spread his teachings throughout and beyond Jerusalem and Galilee. Exalted as the closest to the Lord's corporeal persona, she was later dubbed the Apostle of all Apostles. This notoriety though, according to the Monks, brought the ire of the local Roman population in Ptolemais (later Acre). A local Roman Governor, Titus Nepos, advocated for the release of Mary, but the people rejected him and called for her execution. Instead, Titus saved Mary and her followers, hurrying them onto a small ship under darkness and opening the great chains of the port so they could escape. Mary would sale to Roma, and then later, to the southern port of Marseille.

Foundations of Bone

Mary would preach Catholic doctrines, and on her journeys throughout the countryside, the people rejoiced and turned away from paganism. She lived for a hundred years it was said, and as she grew older, unable to travel, she settled in the cradle of Gaul, in the lands that would later become the great First Kingdom of Burgundy. Her followers erected a stone and wood chapel, and the faithful traveled unparalleled distances to hear her sermons. Before her death, it is said angels lifted her up to hear the voice of God. Upon her death, she was buried beneath the chapel's wooden floors. From there, the roots of the abbey were established, deep and strong, intertwined with the bones of the Lord's Apostle. The chapel was christened Chapel of Sainte Marie Madeleine.

On Truth and Belief and Commerce

by Josh Applegate

In or around 1505 A.U.C., some years after the chapel had grown into the larger abbey, the monks claimed to have found Mary's bones, and further, the relics imparted magnificent healing anilities. They were enshrined in a cylindrical ark. Pilgrims came from far afield to pray at the alter and find healing. The bones are claimed to be particularly effective at curing magna pestilencia. Throughout this time, the abbey's importance in the surrounding community grew, as did its influence. Before long, artisans, bakers, and other lay brothers expanded the abbey's offerings to the townsfolk.

Iconoclast Revolt

by Michel Grolet

The Abbey of Sainte Marie Madeline was an early target of the Iconoclasts, the revelation of Mary's bones epitomizing their belief that the true faith had been perverted by untrue priests and monks. In particular, they disputed Mary's travels to Francia, claiming the story of her escape from Acre was merely a retelling of Jesus' persecution, with Titus overcoming Pontious Pilate's weaknesses symbolizing the influence of God's presence in all man since the crucifixion. A group of Iconoclasts would later burn down the original chapel in an effort to destroy the bones, but the ark was saved by the monks before the structure collapsed. The current chapel within the greater abbey was built entirely of stone, not wood, on the same spot where the monks believed Mary was buried.

History

As the chapel matured into an abbey, the monks expanded the footprint of the religious grounds further, and throughout the later century, its importance grew. Now, the Abbey of Sainte Marie Madeleine has become the seat religious power within all of the Burgundian lands. Significant events on the holy ground included François II's calling for the second crusade at a mass held on the abbey's grounds, the last three Duke's being interred in its cemetery, and finally Thibaud the Bold's coronation ceremony, inclusive of his weeks long confession prior to being crowned, which cemented the abbey's place as the central religious force in the entire Duchy.

by Denis LORAIN

Type

Abbey

Parent Location

Burgundy