Saint Mary Magdalene Exhibit In Kawit Cavite

P7240636tBefore attending the concelebrated mass in Saint Mary Magdalene Parish for the Feast of the Mary Magdalene, I already made an inquiry to admin of their official Facebook page regarding to their ecclesiastical exhibit. I asked them what happened to those old memorabilla that they used to display on the church. I saw a couple of items before so I’m pretty sure they transferred it somewhere. They told me that they decided to put all the historical items in an exhibit and is now situated on a convent. The exhibit is open publicly but since we arrived there during a very special day, the convent was closed and we were advised to visit the following days. The exhibit is open every Tuesdays to Sundays. P7240592tThe Saint Mary Magdalene Church. Interestingly, you can reach the exhibit in two possible ways. You can enter the Saint Mary Magdalene Elementary school and just inform the guard and they will guide you to that particular room or if the door from that face is close, you can approach the other way by heading towards the convent, the way that only priests and other authorized person can enter. You may ask a permission directly to their main office and they will ask someone to guide you.  P7240663t A view of the St Mary Magdalene Elementary School from the rear portion of the church (it’s the one facing the main road). P7240661tThe right side of the church and the way towards the main office and the convent which is situated within the school.
P7240594tThe wooden front door of the centuries-old church P7240595tA historical marker.
P7240596tIt is a very simple exhibit located on a modified class room. A small portion of the room also serves as the convent’s kitchen. The exhibit displays both ecclesiastical items related to Saint Mary Magdalene and also some notable historical memorabilia in relation with Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the country. P7240600tThe first thing you’ll notice once you enter the exhibit are the life-size statues depicting different images of Mary Magdalene. This one depicts the “repentance of Mary Magdalene”
P7240606tP7240609tP7240610tMary Magdalene at the Crucifixion (commonly describe as Women at the Crucifixion as she was accompanied by Mary and her sister Mary the wife of Clopas) P7240613tMary Magdalene at the empty tomb
P7240619tP7240618tMary Magdalane in the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was the first person to ever witness the resurrected Jesus!
P7240624tOn the other side of the wall lies some old books and pictures showing the early image of Mary Magdalene, the old Church and some historical memorabilia about Emilio Aguinaldo. P7240620tP7240623tA 1930 picture showcasing the old belfry of the parish P7240627tDuring my recent trip to Aguinaldo Shrine, we have learned that Emilio Aguinaldo was baptized in Mary Magdalene Parish and interestingly, the church was able to save the original copy of Emilio Aguinaldo’s Baptismal records. P7240628tThis must be a Vulgate, a Latin version of the Bible which emerged during the late fourth-century and is mostly attributed to St Jerome. P7240629tNot sure about this one but since it has some noticeable computations, this book must be an old accounting records of the church. P7240631tBaptismal Records since 1830! Wow! P7240633tThe former parish priests. P7240634tCheck out this old furniture! P7240635tCandle holders P7240638tThe highlights of the exhibit are not just the life-size images nor those old books and records but the relics and other items used for the image of Mary Magdalene for the past centuries. Here, you’ll find the old dresses used for the image for the past years. Again, the image is notably aromatic which means you can smell the fragrance from these dresses even from afar. P7240641tA relic from Mary MagdaleneP7240643tThis must be a first class relic knowing that it has the term “Ex Ossibus” which means “From the bones”. P7240644tA pair of dresses used in 1930 and 1940 respectively. P7240645tOne of the most interesting highlights of the exhibit aside from the old dresses and relics are these shiny jewelries. P7240649tP7240650tNecklaces and earrings used for the image of Mary Magdalene for the past decades. P7240653tCrowns and tiaras. P7240658tMary Magdalene has many attributes and this vessel of ointment is one of her commonly used symbols or attributes. P7240657tCross, also a symbol of Saint Mary Magdalene.
I learned a lot from this exhibit and I’m not sure if this exhibit is only for a limited time but I hope not. I also wish that they can build a separate building to display these historical items much like what they did in Sta Cruz Convent Museum.

8 thoughts on “Saint Mary Magdalene Exhibit In Kawit Cavite

  • August 5, 2015 at 3:05 am
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    The building looks like it have a lot of flooring and walls from wood. Hopefully they have good fire prevention method. Kinda scary to see all these historical items stored there if there is no proper fire measures.

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  • August 5, 2015 at 5:11 am
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    I didn’t know that that’s how the vessel of ointment looks like to symbolize Mary Magdalene. How is it related to her character? The wooden front door is a nice place for a fashion photo shoot. 🙂

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  • August 5, 2015 at 9:38 am
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    the life-size images are indeed very beautifully done, each has very realistic emotions on the face and truly tells the story behind, also the costumes are seriously tailored and very much detailed, one word says it all – impressive!!

    besides the images, the books and artefacts are also very impressive too, so well kept and still in good conditions.. and lastly, of course are those relics and items used on the images, kept since decades ago, this place is really full of treasure.. 🙂

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  • August 5, 2015 at 2:11 pm
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    It’s nice to see that there is a shrine for Mary Magdalene. She does represent have a lot of importance to the story of Christ and forgiveness and humility.

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  • August 5, 2015 at 3:12 pm
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    The life-sized statues are amazing! I wish I could visit that place and take a closer look at the costumes.

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  • September 7, 2015 at 10:32 am
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    [This must be a Vulgate, a Latin version of the Bible which emerged during the late fourth-century and is mostly attributed to St Jerome. ]

    Actually, the book you are referring to is not a copy of the Vulgate; It is an old Missal which contains the old order of the Mass (which was said mostly in Latin) before the reforms of Vatican II. In the picture, you can see the Missal is opened at the pages where the prayers that the priest should say before he takes and while he is taking the Body and Blood of Christ prior to the distribution of Holy Communion to the people are contained. The black large texts are the prayers, while the red small texts are the instructions/rubrics which dictate the priest’s every movement or posture.

    Anyway, thank you for visiting our province 😀

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    • September 9, 2015 at 7:58 am
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      Yay.. thanks for the details.. I will edit this post right away!

      Reply

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