Mary Magdalene, "apostle to the apostles", and one of the women closest to Christ during the period of His ministry, passion, and resurrection, is one of the most beloved and intriguing figures of the New Testament and early Christian faith.  Perhaps no other woman next to the Virgin Mary is so universally revered in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and representations of her likeness in paintings, illustrations, and sculpture have been a staple of liturgical, church, sacred and secular art practically since the advent of Christianity as a religion.   

Perhaps part of our collective fascination with Mary Magdalene is that, as with so many of the early Christian figures, much of her life and even some of her identity is in dispute.   The Catholic Church, for example, identified her as "Mary Magdalene the Penitent" for centuries, identifying her as both Mary of Bethany and the woman who washes Christ’s feet in Luke 7:36-50, while the Eastern Orthodox Church insists that she was virtuous throughout her life, and considers her one of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, and believes that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany (also a Myrrh-Bearer) were two distinct disciples.

What is not in dispute, however, is her place of birth.  The small fishing village of Magdala, just north of the city of Tiberias on the Lake (all referred to as "Sea") of Galilee, once known as Migdal in Hebrew, and later al-Majdal in Arabic, gives "Mary of Magdala" her name.  It is possible that this small Jewish community was not simply a village of fishermen but was a center for fish processing and may have also been known by its Talumdic name, Migdal Nunayya ("the tower of fishes"), or its Greek name, Tarichea ("the place of salting fish") as mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus.  It was not until relatively recently, however, that serious archaeological work was conducted, but in recent years, three incredible finds have helped illuminate our understanding of life in Mary Magdala’s village.

In 2009, ruins of a Roman-era synagogue were discovered on the grounds of a pilgrimage complex being developed by the Catholic religious order, the Legionaries of Christ.  The findings confirmed the presence of a large, well-built, multi-room synagogue with mosaic floors, frescoed floors, and stone benches, and one of only seven known synagogues built during the Second Temple Era (between the return from Babylonian exile and the ill-fated Jewish Revolt against the Roman authorities in the decades after Christ).   A second extraordinary find as part of this dig was the now-called Magdala Stone, a large sculpted liturgical object believed to be a reading desk or podium for the reading of religious texts.  The sides of the stone desk include a relief image of the seven-branched menorah of the Temple of Jerusalem and may be the earliest known depiction of this all-important symbol of the Jewish faith.

Most recently in late 2021, the ruins of a second, smaller, and less ornate temple were discovered a short distance from the first at Magdala, giving further light to the importance of faith to the community.  Coins, glass, and other important archaeological evidence have also been unearthed.  Excavation and further research will undoubtedly improve the existing knowledge of the site, but pilgrims can enjoy visiting the Legionary-run Magdala Center, which includes several beautiful chapels and a church with an altar constructed as a Galilean fishing boat set against the backdrop of a view of the Lake of Galilee.   The newly opened center allows for pilgrims to step foot in Magdala as was not possible only a few years before, and thus, to come closer to this most important disciple of Christ.   

Journey to the Holy Land!

Good Shepherd Travel offers trips to Magdala, Tiberias, and the Galilee as part of our Holy Land comprehensive pilgrimage package along with Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jericho, the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. Other popular pilgrimage tours to locations such as Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, and Ireland are also available. For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage in late 2022 and 2023, contact Good Shepherd Travel owner and manager, Tony AbuAita at Tony@goodshepherdtravel.com.