Penitent Magdalen, possibly Italy, 17th - 18th century

Exceptional patinated bronze sculpture. Mary Magdalene is mentioned, both in the canonical New Testament and in various apocryphal gospels, as a distinguished disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. Its name refers to its place of origin: Magdala, a town located on the western shore of Lake Tiberias and a village near Capernaum. She is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion, which celebrate her holiday on July 22. It is of special importance for the Gnostic currents of Christianity. In 1988, Pope John Paul II in the Mulieris Dignitatem letter referred to her as the "apostle of the apostles", and on June 10, 2016, The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published a decree by which the celebration of Saint Mary Magdalene is raised to the degree of feast in the general Roman Calendar at the express wish of Pope Francis. Total measurements: 38 x 38 x 38