According to the legend, during her last thirty years in France, Mary Magdalene devoted herself to solitary penance for the sins of her past life. This legend is connected to the belief that she was the sister of Martha and Lazarus of Bethany. Artwork depicting Mary in penance usually show her in a desert or rocky landscape, sometimes with a cave, and with a skull or a
crucifix.
Related: Ecstasy, Dwelling with Angels, Apotheosis Other Portraits of Mary, Called Magdalene
