Is This the Face of St. Mary Magdalene? Forensic Science Meets Ancient Skull Relic
Talk about a miracle of modern technology!
A team of researchers in France claims to have reconstructed the face of St. Mary Magdalene, based on a relic of her skull in that country.
Here’s what they came up with:
The team took 500 photographs of the skull, housed in the Basilica of Saint-Maximin-La-Sainte-Baume, and made a 3D computer model. They then used modern forensic reconstruction techniques to rebuild the muscles and tissue on the skull to see what the face looked like.
“We are almost certain of the shape of the face, the position of the eyes, the position of the nose, the mouth, the volume of the face,” one of the researchers explained.
There is some doubt, however, over whether the skull is indeed the skull of St. Mary Magdelene. While her relics have been revered in France for centuries (based on a tradition that she died in France), there is another church tradition that says Mary died in Ephesus, Turkey and that her relics are kept there instead.
Here’s a video about the facial reconstruction:
Note: The video below has some incorrect information about Mary Magdalene; but it’s valuable for showing the face, the process, and interviewing some of the people involved.
St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, please pray for us!
[See also: The True Reason for the Greatness of St. Mary Magdalene]
[See also: 7 of History’s Most Brilliant Scientists People Forget Were Catholic]