Equal-to-the-Apostles, Myrrh-bearer Mary Magdalene

Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary came from the city of Magdala on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Healed by Christ of seven demons (Luke 8:2), she became one of the women who accompanied and materially supported the Savior's ministry.

She stood at the foot of the Cross at the Crucifixion, was present at the burial, and, according to the testimony of all four Gospels, was the first person to see the risen Christ (John 20) — earning her the Eastern title "apostle to the apostles." According to church tradition (recorded, among others, by St. Dimitry of Rostov), she preached in Rome, presenting Emperor Tiberius a red egg with the words "Christ is risen!" — an episode traditionally linked to the origin of the Paschal egg custom. She later assisted the Apostle John the Theologian in Ephesus, where she died; in 886, under Emperor Leo VI the Wise, her relics were translated to Constantinople, to the Monastery of St. Lazarus.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Western medieval tradition mistakenly identified Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany and with the unnamed "sinful woman" who anointed Christ's feet with myrrh (Luke 7) — Orthodox tradition has always clearly distinguished these three different women, confirmed by the separate, independent veneration of Mary of Bethany (already documented in our database as a separate entry, mary_of_bethany).

IMPORTANT CORRECTION: the saint holds two liturgical titles simultaneously — "Equal-to-the-Apostles" and "Myrrh-bearer"; the narrower and higher-ranking title "Equal-to-the-Apostles" (awarded to few saints — such as Equal-to-the-Apostles Nina, Olga, Vladimir) was chosen as the primary category, while "Myrrh-bearer" is a broader designation applicable to many women.

Her feast is kept on July 22/August 4, and also on the movable Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women.