Francia SacraA journey of faith
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XIII

Via Magdalenae The Magdalene Way

Noli me tangereJohn 20:17

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Length
Seven days
Walking
Moderate
Season
April to October
Status
First departures in 2027

The grace we ask on this way

The grace of conversion, and the joy of being sent as a witness.

  1. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
  2. Arles
  3. Saint-Maximin
  4. La Sainte-Baume
  5. Le Thoronet
  6. Sénanque
  7. Avignon

In the Gospel, Mary Magdalene stands at the foot of the Cross when almost everyone has fled, and on Easter morning the risen Christ calls her by name before sending her to bring the news to his brothers. The Church calls her “the apostle of the apostles.”

Western tradition also saw in her the forgiven sinner who had loved much, and the contemplative seated at the Lord’s feet. According to the tradition of Provence, she landed at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, then spent thirty years in prayer in a cave of the Sainte-Baume.

You will climb on foot through the forest to that grotto, in the care of the Dominicans, to hear Mass there. At Saint-Maximin, the great Gothic basilica of Provence venerates her relics in its crypt, where they have been honored since Charles of Salerno rediscovered them in 1279.

The route also passes through Arles, the Cistercian abbeys of Le Thoronet and Sénanque, and Avignon.

Daily prayer

Mary Magdalene stayed at the foot of the Cross, and came to the tomb while it was still dark. The week follows her in Provence, from the shore where tradition has her landing to the grotto where she prayed, and ends with Christ sending her to announce that he is risen.

This landProvence keeps the oldest traditions of the Gospel in Gaul: by tradition the friends of Christ landed on its shore, and Mary Magdalene prayed for thirty years in its mountains.

Each day

Each day a scene of the Gospel in which she appears, Mass in the place of the day, and an evening kept in silence, as at the Sainte-Baume.

The rites of this way

  • Confession at Saint-Maximin
  • Mass in the grotto of the Sainte-Baume
  • The Gospel of Easter morning read at the last Mass

Before you leave

Read the twentieth chapter of Saint John, and Saint Luke 7:36 to 8:3: the sinful woman whom Western tradition identified with Mary Magdalene, then Mary Magdalene herself among the women who followed Jesus.

The fruit of the way

The grace of conversion, and the joy of a witness.

Who it is forThose who have come back to the faith, and those who wish to.

Day by day

Seven days in Provence, from the shore of the Camargue to Avignon.

  1. Day I

    MareThe crossing

    Paris to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

    The high-speed train to Avignon, then the Camargue and the fortified church by the sea

    Mass in the fortified church of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

    Night in the Camargue
  2. Day II

    EcclesiaThe first Christians of Gaul

    Arles

    Saint-Trophime, its portal and its cloister

    Prayer in the cloister of Saint-Trophime

    Night in Arles
  3. Day III

    LacrimaeThe tears of conversion

    Saint-Maximin

    The basilica and the relics of Mary Magdalene in its crypt

    Prayer before the relics in the crypt, and confession

    Night in Saint-Maximin
  4. Day IV

    ContemplatioSeated at the Lord’s feet

    The Sainte-Baume

    The climb on foot through the forest to the grotto beneath the cliff

    Mass in the grotto, requested from the Dominicans, and a night beneath the cliff

    Night at the Sainte-Baume
  5. Day V

    SilentiumCistercian silence

    Le Thoronet

    The Cistercian abbey of Le Thoronet and its bare stone church

    Silent prayer in the cloister of Le Thoronet

    Night in Provence
  6. Day VI

    PetrusThe Church of Peter

    Sénanque and Avignon

    Mass with the monks of Sénanque in their valley, then the Palace of the Popes and the cathedral of Notre-Dame-des-Doms

    Prayer for the Pope and for the unity of the Church at Notre-Dame-des-Doms

    Night in Avignon
  7. Day VII

    RabboniCalled by name

    Avignon to Paris

    The high-speed train from Avignon to Paris, or directly to Charles de Gaulle airport, about three hours

    The farewell Mass, with the Gospel of Easter morning

    Last day

Masses, private openings and some visits are requested for each group and remain subject to the consent of rectors, curators and communities.

First departures in 2027. Tell us the season you prefer, and we will propose departure dates once reservations open.

The holy places of this way: Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Arles, Saint-Maximin, La Sainte-Baume, Le Thoronet, Sénanque, Avignon.

Further reading: Vézelay: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Basilica of Mary Magdalene; Avignon: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the City of the Popes; Mary Magdalene in Provence: The Tradition and the Shrines.

The saints of this way: Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Martha, Saint Honoratus, Saint Caesarius of Arles.

This way can also be made at a gentle pace, with two or three days in Paris before or after.

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