1st century
Saint Mary Magdalene
Myrrh-bearer and, according to the Gospels, one of the first witnesses of the Resurrection.
Biography
Mary Magdalene came from Magdala, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. According to the Gospels, Jesus freed her from seven demons, after which she followed him as a disciple and helped support his ministry financially.
She was present at the Crucifixion and, according to the Gospels, was the first to come to the tomb with myrrh on the morning of the Resurrection, where angels announced to her that Christ had risen. For this the Orthodox Church honors her as Equal-to-the-Apostles.
Tradition holds that she went on serving the early Church in Jerusalem and later travelled to Ephesus, where she lived near the Apostle John until her death.