Hairy Mary Magdalene
Sculptural shrine fillings
The post-biblical legend of Saint Magdalene reports, among other things, of her penitence in the south of France in the years before her death. Probably the most important and most widespread medieval source of the Magdalene vita is the Legenda Aurea by Jacobus de Voragine from around 1260. During the seven canonical hours of prayer, the saint received heavenly nourishment, elevated by angels. It is therefore not, as is often erroneously stated, an Assumption. The long hair covering the body reflects the ascetic life of the saint in the wasteland. According to Anstett-Janßen, the unusual iconographic type of the Magdalene clothed in hair or fur originated in Italy in the 13th century.