In the small town of Magdala, which is located near Jerusalem, a woman lived. She was alone: no parents, no husband, no children. Her name was Mary Magdalene. She worked in the fish market. Men enjoyed her loneliness and dementia, indulging in her love joys. Locals did not like Mary, threw stones and rotten vegetables at her. There was no one to protect her, she herself was not able to do this. The girl’s life changed when Jesus came to the city with his apostles.
Mary is a follower of Christ
The teacher drove out seven demons from her, Magdalene's thoughts became bright, and she followed him, loving her whole soul. The New Testament says that Jesus also loved Mary, their love was high, spiritual. Mary Magdalene became the first and only disciple of Christ, she brought people his teachings after his death and resurrection.
Mary attended the execution of her teacher, held his hand when Jesus was dying, bleeding on the cross. She washed his body and smeared his feet with essential oil. Mary could survive his death only by deeply believing that Christ would rise. She was the first to arrive at his tomb on the appointed day and, noticing that the coffin was empty, burst into tears. Hearing the question: "Why are you crying?" - Maria replied that her beloved was buried, and where, she does not know. Seeing through tears that she was talking with Jesus, she was delighted and carried the good news to the apostles, people and ruler.
Gethsemane Convent
One of the places where the church of St. Mary Magdalene rises is Gethsemane. This Russian Orthodox shrine is
a convent of the Bethany community of Christ's Resurrection. Alexander the Third himself, the Russian emperor, took part in its construction. The Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem was built in the eighteenth century in honor of the memory of Alexander's mother, Maria Alexandrovna. She was German, but became the Russian Empress and converted to Orthodoxy. The heavenly patroness of the queen was Mary Magdalene, so the church was consecrated by this name.
Main Church of Mary Magdalene
Mary was a follower of Jesus Christ and was his disciple. Therefore, the main church of Mary Magdalene is located in Jerusalem, although it was built in honor of the Russian Queen. One of the largest canvases depicts Mary, who came to Tiberius with a sermon. In the legends it is said that it was impossible to get to the emperor without gifts. Magdalene was a beggar, so Tiberius brought only a chicken egg. She said that Jesus was resurrected. To which the ruler laughed, saying that it was impossible to return from the dead, how it was impossible for a white egg to blush. At that moment, the egg in the king’s hands turned bright red.
Temple construction
No wonder Alexander chose this place for the temple. The land where the church of St. Mary Magdalene, Gethsemane, or Garden of Gethsemane now stands, is a saint. Archimadrid Antonin Kapustin advised him to buy it. David Grimm - Russian architect, designed the church. The stones of Jerusalem were used for construction, and metal and wood were brought from Russia. The icons and paintings of all the buildings of the temple were made by Russian masters and artists. All costs were borne by the royal family. The Church of Mary Magdalene was consecrated in the year eighteen eighty-eight. The nunnery appeared here much later. It was founded by the Orthodox English women Maria and Martha in 1934, the first to find the local peace and pacification.
The last refuge of the empress
Elizaveta Fedorovna, having first entered the church, was struck by her beauty so that she bequeathed to bury herself here on this earth. And so they did, but not immediately. Elizabeth, along with other royal people, was taken by the Bolsheviks to Alapaevsk, where she was destined to die after being dumped in the mine. It happened in 1918. Only two years later, in 1921, the holy relics of the empress were transferred to the church of Mary Magdalene.
Sights of the monastery and its land
The Church of Mary Magdalene from afar attracts the eyes with its white walls and golden domes. The monastery is located at the foot of
Mount of Olives and is surrounded by Gethsemane. Nearby is the
tomb of the Mother of God. You can get to the temple through a large gate of golden color, located south of the mountain. Going inside, you will see the stairs. This ladder leads to the Gethsemane Grotto, where during the prayer of Christ the apostles James, Peter and John fell asleep. It was at this point that Jesus uttered the well-known words: “Watch and pray, so as not to fall into temptation. The spirit is alert, the flesh is weak.” The building of the Church of Mary is very beautiful and richly cleaned, but at the same time conquers with its simplicity. Around is peace of mind, sublimity and harmony. Cleanliness is maintained here. The garden is neat and tidy with lots of trees and flowers. Inside, everything is quite simple and modest, without too much gloss. Above the altar is the image of Magdalene holding an egg, brought to the ruler of Tiberius. From this story, when the emperor dropped a reddened egg from his hands with the words "Truly risen!", And the tradition began to paint eggs for Easter.
Where else is the church of Mary Magdalene?
All over the world, Christians erected churches in honor of St. Mary Magdalene. Huge temples and small chapels were built. People who need the help of the Holy are ready to pray for hours to her face. There is a church of Mary Magdalene in Paris, this is really a great place, thousands of pilgrims annually seek to go there, along with the
Jerusalem Temple. Especially many churches of Magdalene are located in Russia: Perm, Moscow,
Saratov, Kazan, St. Petersburg.
Church of Mary Magdalene in St. Petersburg
Where is the church of Mary Magdalene in St. Petersburg? Near the Pavlovsky park. Here is the main pilgrimage of the townspeople.
The Church of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene in the cultural capital of our country was erected many times in the same place. This structure is the first building in the city made of stone. In 1871, a hospital was located at this place, so it was decided to build a church here. The architect Quarenghi began construction in the presence of Prince Pavel Petrovich - the son of the founder of St. Petersburg, Peter. Completed and consecrated the temple of Gabriel - Metropolitan Petrov. Icons were painted by the Roman painter Kades, and Russian artist Fedor Danilov was engaged in wall painting. Empress Maria Feodorovna herself took care that the interior was distinguished by grandeur and simplicity.
Outside, the church remained strict and impregnable. The soldiers who died in the hospital after fighting with the French troops were buried nearby, and a crypt for foreign ambassadors and ministers was placed under the temple itself.
After the revolution, the hospital became a shoe factory, and the temple was closed in 1931. Church furniture and icons were stolen, relics, formerly sacred, desecrated, burned a lot. The biggest damage to the internal paintings of the church was caused by the toy factory, which was housed in the temple building after the Great Patriotic War. Chemical liquids, vibration of sewing machines used in production, put a fat point on the original beauty, which survived almost two centuries. Subsequently, the building, which was once a beautiful church, was empty for a long time. The community achieved his return only in nineteen ninety-five. At that time, there was practically nothing left of the building: the floor was completely absent, the walls were streaked with through cracks. Since Russia had a terrible financial situation in the nineties, there was no question of financing for the restoration of the temple. Until 1998, the church of Mary Magdalene continued to collapse. All the wooden partitions finally decayed, and fashionable graffiti appeared inside the places of painting.
Only by the year 2000, the building itself was completely restored, and services were resumed. Parts of ancient frescoes and murals on the walls were also found, by now they have been practically restored. Relics and icons belonging to her, which were in all countries of the world among collectors and museums, began to return to the church of Mary Magdalene. Now the church has a gilded cross and new domes of the main belfry.