Those of you who have read ‘The Book of Love’ by Kathleen McGowan are familiar with the book’s protagonist. I am referring to MATILDA OF TUSCANY, a marchioness who approximately lived between 1046 and 1115 in Tuscany and the region around Mantua and played an important role from a historical viewpoint. In the novel of Kathleen McGowan she is considered to be a descendant of the bloodline of MARY MAGDALENE who was given an education that befitted her rank in Florence.

Quotation: „… Mathilda had also not had any real spiritual education for almost two years, critical years in a child’s development . … would relocate to Florence, where the Order (of the Holy Grail) had a base, a monastery at the edge of the river Arno, whch had been named for the Holy Trinity, SANTA TRINITA. A secretive and somewhat mysterious community of monks with ties to the Order had built a monasterythere in the tenth century, under the patronage of Siegfrid of Lucca, Mathilda’s legendary great-great-grandfather. The monks were not only sympathetic to the origins of the Order, some of them were descended from the most powerful bloodline families themselves and were sworn members.“ (from „The Book of Love“ by Kathleen McGowan, p. 147)

Most of the people who visit this church admire the numerous other masterpieces and wait in a line so that they get a chance to take pictures of them. Hardly anybody takes notice of Mary Magdalene. I brought back some photos of her statue, which was created in 1450, from my stay in Florence.