Michael Donley

Mary Magdalen in Provence: The Coffin and the Cave Michael Donley

This book concentrates on the venerable tradition that links Mary to the heart of la Provence Verte. To the cave in the massif of Saint-Baume where she is said to have ended her days as a hermit, after helping evangelise the area; and to the coffin in the nearby town of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume which is said to contain her bones. Places which for centuries have been a magnet for pilgrims and which remain centres of pilgrimage and spiritual activity today. Provence and Mary Magdalen-two endlessly fascinating subjects. Yet the tradition linking the two is hardly known in the English-speaking world. Here-in a quest both spiritual and historical-is its first full-length examination. Could there be any truth in it? Michael Donley has worked as a Lecturer in English in several countries, and has previously published on French literature and music criticism.