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In the footsteps of MATILDA of TUSCANY

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.

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Mary Magdalene in Florence (Italy)

Florence is a paradise for art enthusiasts! At every turn, they come across unspeakable treasures and rarities from earlier centuries, the density of which seems to be an Italian idiosyncrasy. Many of the churches are decorated with the works of old masters, which usually are only to be found in museums.

During my preparations for our ‘Spiritual Journey through Tuscany’ next autumn, I also visited the church Santa Maria Novella, which is noted in many guidebooks. The atmosphere of the church, however, is rather suggestive of an art gallery and I was unable to sense any special energies. Nevertheless, there was one piece that impressed me considerably, namely the scene of the entombment, which can be found in an inconspicuous alcove inside the church. Immediately, the following question forced itself upon me: which one of the women is MARY MAGDALENE?

The Magdalene is usually represented in the colours red and green and another remarkable feature is her long, red, flowing hair. The person at the far right in the mural painting doubtlessly represents Jesus’ ‘favourite disciple’, whose clothes are red and green as well. Could this be an allusion to Mary Magdalene, who actually is Jesus’ ‘first disciple’ and follower?

The woman to the left of Mother Mary wears the colours red and green too. Could this be Mary Magdalene or Mary Jacobe or Mary Salome? If so, who is the lady in red with the headgear? Doesn’t she look like a queen? Martha, Mary Magdalene’s sister, is frequently represented in red, but still I do not believe that Martha is portrayed here.

Mary Magdalene, who is considered to be Jesus’ wife in old writings and whose rank thus is tantamount to a queen’s, would soonest live up to this role. …

The truth – once again – is in the eye of the beholder.

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Maria Magdalena in Los Angeles

“Los Angeles” means “The Angels” in English… and you not necessarily expect to come across them in the Californian metropolitan city. Nevertheless, also in this city one can find spiritual places, at least if you look for them specifically or if you let yourself be guided by your intuition.

In the “Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels” I not only discovered beautiful angel figures (which I will show to you elsewhere), but also Mary Magdalene: Depicted very modernly and appealingly on a huge wall tapestry – and on glass windows and wall ceramics in the basement. If you are rambling about L.A. and can spare some time, you should absolutely go to see it!

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The castle St. Hilarion in Northern Cyprus

In Cyprus we visited a beautiful spot in the Turkish northern part of the island: the magical castle ruins St. Hilarion. This saint, who is declared to be an Ascended Master nowadays, allegedly was buried there and a small Byzantine monastic church erected above his grave. In the 8th century a castle was built in this strategic place, which seems to merge with the rocks at first glance. Even nowadays this place is so romantic that it served Walt Disney as a model for his movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. After all, some people still claim that the castle once belonged to a sorceress who charmed her visitors to sleep in a secret garden and afterwards robbed them. We couldn’t feel that, but we were able to sense the energies of Hilarion in the region of the former church all the better.

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Mary Magdalene in Paris

In Paris a whole quarter is named after Mary Magdalene, namely the district MADELEINE. The church which bears her name is based on a Greek temple hall and was built in the years 1764-1845.

At first glance the main altar depicts Mary’s ascension to heaven and her arrival in Heaven, respectively – but it could be Mary Magdalene as well. After all, “Mary” was not a name as such in her lifetime, but rather a title inside her religious community. And a statue which is called “The Wedding of the Virgin Mary” could, therefore, depict the marriage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus just as well.

Maybe another question poses itself to the visitor when admiring the huge dome above the altar: Is Mary Magdalene depicted next to Jesus even twice? She is clearly discernible on his right, since one of her symbols is the alabaster jar which she is holding in her hand. But who is the woman on his left? Green-red attire and long strawberry blonde hair at least are unmistakable hints at Mary Magdalene. After all, it was her, to whom he appeared first after his resurrection.

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The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

The SAGRADA FAMILIA is one of the most impressive churches I have ever seen. On my second visit I was lucky: The sun was shining and made the wonderful glass windows beam. The construction of this sacral building, which was designed by the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, started in 1882 and probably is not going to be finished until 2026. If you go to Barcelona, you should arrange enough time for a visit of this monumental building.

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The “Semana Santa” in Palma de Mallorca

On the gorgeous Spanish island Majorca – just as in many other Spanish places – traditional religious processions take place during the Passion Week, which are already prepared many months in advance with love for detail and a lot of community spirit. The procession groups clothe themselves in multicolored garments and partly also wear pointy headdresses and hoods, which also disguise the faces and only leave the eye slits uncovered. Some of the participants even walk barefoot, some of them drag heavy chains after them which are attached to their ankles as a sign of penance.

The groups of figures which weigh several hundreds of kilograms and depict scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary are elaborately carved and richly decorated. They are borne by men and women (!) through the streets of Palma for hours. And this they do in a crouched position, since the bearers have to slip under the pedestals of the groups of figures which are covered with cloth, where they – tightly packed – cannot see anything else than the legs of the person in front during the course of the whole procession.

The groups are accompanied with loud music by drummers and musicians who are wearing colorful gowns. Last but not least, also the church dignitaries walk through the streets. And when they all arrive at the starting point of their procession again, namely their church, tired and exhausted, they are already looking forward to the “Semana Santa” of the coming year. After all, taking part is an act of honor!

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