Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene (Saint-Maximin)

The Story

The Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, Provence, is the largest Gothic church in southern France and, according to a cherished Provençal tradition, the resting place of St. Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the Risen Christ. Tradition holds that after the Ascension, Mary Magdalene, with Lazarus and other companions, crossed the sea to Provence, helped bring the Gospel to the region, and spent her final years in prayer and penance in the mountain grotto of La Sainte-Baume, before being buried at what is now Saint-Maximin. In 1279 Charles of Salerno, the future King Charles II of Naples, conducted excavations beneath the town's ancient church and reported discovering her relics. With the approval of Pope Boniface VIII the site was entrusted to the Dominican Order, and construction of the great basilica began in 1295. The relics — most famously the skull venerated in a golden reliquary in the crypt — have drawn pilgrims for more than seven centuries. Historians note that the medieval abbey of Vézelay in Burgundy long advanced a rival claim to the Magdalene's relics, and the Provençal tradition cannot be verified historically; the Church honors the devotion while leaving such questions to scholarship. Today the basilica, together with the Dominican-served grotto sanctuary of La Sainte-Baume in the forested massif nearby, forms one of the great pilgrimages of Provence. Devotion to the Magdalene has only deepened in recent years: in 2016 Pope Francis raised her liturgical memorial to the rank of feast, honoring her as 'Apostle of the Apostles' for announcing the Resurrection to the Twelve.

Church Recognition

The church holds the title of minor basilica and has been in the pastoral care of the Dominican tradition since the thirteenth century; the relics are venerated according to Provençal tradition, and in 2016 Pope Francis elevated St. Mary Magdalene's celebration on July 22 to a feast of the universal Church.

Catholic Teaching

Mary Magdalene's witness stands at the heart of the Gospel: she was the first to see the Risen Lord and to announce the Resurrection (CCC 641), and the veneration of her relics reflects the Church's teaching on popular piety and the honor due the saints (CCC 1674).

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Practical

1 Additional Information ▾

The basilica and the nearby Sainte-Baume grotto form a longstanding Provencal pilgrimage.

Go Deeper

See the parish and basilica website at https://paroissesaintmaximin.fr, the Gospel Resurrection accounts (John 20), CCC 641, and the 2016 decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship raising St. Mary Magdalene's memorial to a feast.