All language subtitles for Forbidden.History.S07E05.Mary.Magdalene.Enigma.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

[narrator] According to
the stories in the Bible,

Mary Magdalene is at the heart
of the Christian faith.

She was perhaps Jesus's
most devoted disciple.

After Jesus,
Mary Magdalene is arguably

the most important person
in the New Testament.

Why? Because she is
the witness

to the resurrection.

[narrator] Yet her role
in the religion

has been debated
for centuries.

Could she have been
a prostitute,

Jesus's lover,

or even the brains
behind Christianity?

She's feisty,
she's articulate,

she's, dare I say,
controlling.

Controlling Jesus.

[narrator] But what happened
to Mary Magdalene

after Christ's death

is still one of the world's
biggest enigmas,

with a number of theories
and conspiracies

still very much alive today.

This could be the moment
where we find Mary Magdalene.

We have got the equipment.
We have got the right place.

[narrator] What is the truth?

Does Mary Magdalene's body
still lay hidden somewhere,

waiting to be found?

If we find Mary Magdalene,
we will re-write history.

[narrator] The Bible claims
Mary Magdalene

was one of Jesus's
most devoted followers.

But some suggest
she was much more.

Mary Magdalene is one of
the most fascinating,

kind of mysterious figures

in the whole of
western civilization.

And that's true,
whether you are
a Christian or not.

[narrator] Yet in
the 2,000 years
since her death,

Mary's story has always been
an unsolved mystery.

Scholars and armatures alike

are still trying to crack
the code of who she really was

and the whereabouts
of her tomb.

The Sea of Galilee, Israel.

If the Biblical story
is accurate,

this is where
Mary first met Jesus.

When Jesus began his mission,

he went from village
to village,

doing kind of
big, dramatic stuff first,

like casting out demons.

One of the people
allegedly cast demons out of

was a woman that became
to know as Mary Magdalene.

We don't know too much about

Mary's initial meeting
with Jesus.

What we do know is that
she was possessed by,

we are told, seven demons.

People who were
demon-possessed

lived in the very margins
of society.

[narrator] The Bible claims
Jesus cast out

the seven demons
from within Mary.

From that day, most agree,

she became a fanatical
follower of Christ.

But perhaps Mary's
most defining moment

occurs after the crucifixion.

Bena Mantel is exploring
the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem,

investigating why
Mary Magdalene's remains

are so highly coveted.

The Garden Tomb is
sort of ground zero

for the Christians
of the world

in terms of
the most important events

in the life of Mary Magdalene.

[narrator]
According to legend,

Jesus was placed here
after his crucifixion.

Three days later,
Mary Magdalene

and a group of disciples
visit the crypt

and discover the stone door
rolled open,

with the tomb empty.

[Bena] They started to wonder
what happened to the body,

and when people leave,
Mary is still there,

wondering what's
happening next.

And then she sees a person,

and in fact, she realizes

and discovers that
this is Jesus,

and she is the first one
to see Jesus

after the crucifixion.

The fact that Jesus
first revealed himself

in his resurrected state

to Mary Magdalene
is hugely significant.

He chose a woman to reveal

this absolutely thunderous
fact to.

There would be
no Christian movement

but for the witnesses.

And the first
of those witnesses,

according to
all four of the gospels,

is Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] Yet despite playing
such a pivotal role,

the story of Mary Magdalene

has become muddied
over the millennia.

Mary's name has been tarnished
by religious leaders

going back as far as
the sixth century.

In fact, it was Pope Gregory
the Great, who was the first

to claim that Mary
was a prostitute.

I think
Mary Magdalene's position

has been marginalized,

yet if you read the Bible,

it's perfectly obvious
she is a central figure.

[Lynn] There's
a very good reason

for a Pope wanting to declare
Mary Magdalene a prostitute.

They didn't want women
to find her as a role model.

So they had to demean her.

They had to basically turn her

into the worst thing
they could imagine,

which was a prostitute.

[narrator] After centuries
of slander,

attempting to determine facts
from fiction is difficult.

Yet Mary's relationship
with Jesus

might be the key to finding

her final resting place.

[Dominic] Through the ages,

Jesus' relationship
with Mary Magdalene

has fascinated people.

There is the Gospel of Philip

which records how
Jesus loved Mary

more than any other
of the disciples,

and used to kiss her
on the mouth.

[narrator] The Gospel
of Philip

is one of many
eye witness accounts

of the life of Jesus
left out of the Bible.

For those hunting
for Mary's tomb,

these less conventional
gospels provide

an unparalleled insight
into who the saint really was.

In these alternative gospels,

the one thing that comes over
is that she is the star.

She's feisty,
she's articulate,

she's, dare I say,
controlling.

She seems to be
controlling Jesus,

almost like
the Yoko Ono character.

[narrator] Intriguingly,
the idea

of Mary Magdalene
controlling Jesus

could suggest
a very unique relationship,

providing clues on why
her remains have disappeared.

You see
a very special relationship

that Jesus has
with Mary Magdalene.

Something that could
in fact even lead us to think

that Mary Magdalene was
in a relationship with Jesus,

perhaps his wife.

There is a small army
of biblical scholars

and theologians that will

snort at the idea
that Mary Magdalene

was the wife of Jesus.

They will tell you there is
no evidence whatsoever.

But it is a rumor, a story,

an angle that refuses
to go away.

[narrator] Whether she was
a devout follower or lover,

to find
Mary Magdalene's remains,

scholars must unravel

what happened to her
after Christ's death.

But records of her life
after the ascension

are shrouded in mystery.

Mary Magdalene
effectively disappears

from the gospel record

after the resurrection
and the ascension,

and all sorts of legends
build up.

[Bena] The real question
of what happens to Mary

after the crucifixion,
it's really anyone's guess.

And there are a lot of people
who, throughout the ages,

actually said that Mary

somehow found her way
to France.

We even have certain popes

who actually say that Mary
actually ended up in France.

[narrator] Southern France.

History enthusiasts,
Pat Jokl and Ronnie Endler,

have spent the last 20 years

trying to uncover
Mary Magdalene's tomb.

In 2013, they thought
they'd tracked her down

to a cave near Carcassonne.

That looks pretty amazing.
It looks man-made.

[narrator] But they hit
a wall.

It doesn't go further. See.
It's solid rock.

So, it's definitely
the end of this cave.

[narrator] Despite
failing once,

they are back on the hunt
for the Saint's remains.

With research, we think now
we pinpointed exactly

the last resting place
of Mary Magdalene.

During our quest,

we had, of course,
lots of dead ends.

But this time,
we are absolutely sure

this is the place to be.

[narrator] Pat's research
has unearthed

a set
of 13th century documents

found in church archives,

which he believes leads to
Mary Magdalene's burial place

in Southern France.

According to many documents
we saw,

all of those documents
are telling the same story

that Mary Magdalene
came to France.

[narrator] With this
new evidence,

Pat thinks he is
one step closer

to solving one of the Bible's
greatest mysteries -

What happened
to Mary Magdalene

after the crucifixion?

According to the Bible,

Mary Magdalene is one of
the most important

of Christ's followers.

Yet the holy book is silent
on what happened to the Saint

after the resurrection.

Could she really have
made her way to France

as some legends proclaim?

Mary Magdalene's fate
after the resurrection
is uncertain,

and there is a story
of Mary Magdalene

rocking up in a boat

on the coast
of Southern France.

[narrator] Many historians
believe that

after the crucifixion,

Mary, like all
of Christ's followers,

were persecuted by their
pagan Roman overlords.

Fearing for their lives,
many fled the holy land.

[Tony] So, in the aftermath
of the crucifixion,

followers of Jesus
were being rounded up
by the Romans.

So, Mary Magdalene
and two or three other women

flee on a boat.

[narrator] Known as
the Tale of the Three Maries,

believers claim Mary Magdalene
boarded a boat in Israel

with two other women,
also named Mary.

They travelled
the entire length
of the Mediterranean Sea,

landing at
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

in the south of France.

[Tony] Now, curiously,
this boat has no oars,
no sails,

but somehow manages to go

practically the entire length
of Mediterranean.

It washes up
on the southern coast
of France

where Mary Magdalene
makes it to shore

and begins her Christian
mission among the French.

If Mary Magdalene did arrive
on the shores

of what became known
as Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer,

well, that would have been
a pretty important catalyst

for the spread of Christianity
in Europe,

because she was one of the
most energetic proponents

of spreading the Good News.

[Peggy] If Mary Magdalene
did land on the beaches,

what it signifies is

the extension of what
is to become Christianity,

but led by a woman.

[narrator] Though the story
of Mary Magdalene

travelling to France

has little grounding
in historical texts,

scholars point to how
the Saint is still revered

in the country as evidence.

[Dominic] Mary Magdalene
has always been

a very popular figure
in France.

There are
a very significant number

of ecclesiastical buildings,
churches,

abbeys named after her,

a huge number
of villages and towns.

Even after the decline of
Catholicism
in France,

she remains
a very popular figure.

Mary Magdalene is revered

in some parts of
the south of France,

and still exerts a very strong
cultural influence.

And many, particularly from
the Catholic tradition,

still very much treat
those sites

where it is believed
she went to

as holy sites and as places of
pilgrimage and veneration.

[narrator] Pat Jokl and fellow
amateur archeologist,
Ronnie Endler,

are on a quest to find
the Saint's remains,

driven by
13th century documents

written by a local aristocrat
to the pope

claiming that Mary
travelled to France.

The pair has tracked down
the point

where they believe she landed.

We are now in
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer,

and according to legend,

Mary Magdalene
set foot exactly...

on land here.

This is the starting point

of all our research
we are doing for so long.

According to all the stuff
we found so far,

it is just more than a legend.

This is the place where
the Christianization
of Europe began.

[narrator] Today, many in
the church consider it fact

that Mary Magdalene
travelled to France.

Yet for some,
the crux of the story

is who travelled with her.

In the account of the journey
across the Mediterranean,

we are told that the women
were accompanied

by another woman called Sarah.

Now, this woman,

according to some people,
was a servant

and according to others,
she was the daughter

of Mary Magdalene
and Jesus Christ.

In recent years,

thanks to two
best-selling books,

one in the 1980s,
Holy Blood Holy Grail,

and one more recently,
The Da Vinci Code,

many, many more people think

Jesus and Mary Magdalene
had children,

and basically kicked off
this sacred bloodline

that mysteriously continues
to this day.

[narrator] But perhaps Mary
and her supposed daughter

weren't the only people
in the boat.

Some believe Christ himself

was smuggled
out of the holy land, too.

[Pat] I believe
Jesus came here with Mary.

It's amazing. Can you imagine
how it feels

to be in the exact same spot,

2,000 years ago,
the holy family landed.

So, maybe we would find
one day

this particular spot where
Jesus is buried as well.

There is a whole series
of narratives

about Mary and Jesus eloping
to France with a baby.

It raises also
the fascinating ideas,

which is kind of enticing
and it fuels legends,

it fuels dramas,
it fuels films.

[narrator] As tantalizing
as it is

to contemplate
the bloodline of Christ,

for Pat, the first step

in locating
Mary Magdalene's remains

is to find out
where the Saint travelled

after she landed.

Since the turn
of the 20th century,

one seemingly
inconsequential
French village

has become entwined

with the legend
of Mary Magdalene

and a mysterious
modern-day priest.

You can't really talk about
the whole story

of Mary Magdalene
in the South of France

without touching on
Rennes-le-Chateau.

[Lynn] In the late
19th century

in a tiny hilltop village,
Rennes-le-Chateau,

there was a priest called
Berenger Sauniere,

who was renovating the church.

And it is said that
he found a document

in a pillar in the church

connected with Mary Magdalene.

For some people,
he discovered proof

that Jesus and Mary
had been married

and they had a bloodline.

[narrator] According
to legend,

the priest
blackmailed the Vatican

with the secret he had found.

Then almost overnight,
he became inexplicably rich.

We can't completely rule out

that Sauniere found
the remains of Mary Magdalene

and maybe sold it
to the church,

or sold it
to some wealthy person

who wanted the body
of that biblical figure,

but we have no evidence
of course.

And certainly it's true that

there is a genuine mystery

connected with
Rennes-le-Chateau,

connected with
the 19th-century priest,

and he was certainly
utterly devoted
to Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] Over the last
100 years,

the village has become
a magnet

for treasure hunters
and tourists alike.

Yet to this day,

no trace
of the priest's treasure

or the source of this wealth
have been found.

Which is why for Pat,

Rennes-le-Chateau
is a dead end.

In the past, we were looking
for Mary Magdalene

in Rennes-le-Chateau.

But now, according to
our new clues,

we think we were looking
in the wrong place.

[narrator] According to
the 13th century letter

that Pat uncovered,
there is the suggestion

that the Saint's remains
may lay hidden in a place

where no one
has looked before.

In Southern France,

Pat Jokl is on the hunt

for the tomb
of Mary Magdalene.

He's uncovered new evidence

about the Saint's
final resting place,

which has led him
to Saint Maximin,

home of the basilica
of Saint Mary Magdalene.

So, this is the basilica
of Saint Maximin.

Some say it contains
the skull of Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] Pat has discovered
a letter

written to a medieval pope
in a church archive.

Dating from 1295,

it claims that the body
of Mary Magdalene

was found here
in a secret crypt.

Father Florian Racine
is the rector of the basilica.

[Florian] We have here
the skull of Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] The church believes
this skull

is from the body
described in Pat's letter.

We know that
it's a little strange

to expose like that
the part of a dead person,

but when people pray here,

they have some kind of
facial access
to Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] According to
local folklore,

after arriving in France,

Mary Magdalene travelled
100 miles east.

There is a story that
when Mary Magdalene did land

in South-eastern France,

she went further inland

and ended up in what is known
as St Maximin.

She continued with
the teachings of Jesus Christ,

and the last of her years
were spent in a grotto.

[Tony] Nearby to St Maximin
is a grotto

that's still revered
as a place

where Mary Magdalene prayed
and maybe even lived.

And it's still a focus point
for the prayerful,

for the pious, to go and share
their love for Mary Magdalene.

[Florian] We knew
Mary Magdalene lived

in the penance
and contemplation of Jesus

in the grotto,

but we did not know
where she was buried.

[narrator] At the time
Pat's letter was written,

legend has it that Charles II

was visited by the Saint
in a dream,

where she instructed him
to hunt for her remains.

After the ghostly vision,
Charles instructed his men

to search the area
for a secret crypt.

So, finally after a few years
of searching,

they were digging like that,
and boom.

They dig, you know,
they felt the sarcophagus.

[Tony] In the year 1279,

there were excavations
conducted in St. Maximin,

by orders of Charles II,
the Count of Provence.

They found
a marble sarcophagus

dating back
to the first century AD.

And when they opened
the sarcophagus ,

a sweet smell came out of it.
What was that sweet smell?

It was the oil, of course,

that Mary Magdalene poured
onto the feet of Jesus.

What more proof did you need

that Mary Magdalene
was buried there?

[narrator] The church
is adamant

that this is the skull
of Mary Magdalene.

They claim that when the skull
was found in the Middle Ages,

a piece of skin was
still attached to it,

miraculously preserved

from the moment Jesus touched
Mary's forehead.

In many painting, we see

Jesus pushing little bit
Mary Magdalene like that.

Touching this piece of skin.

And so, this piece of skin
was touched by the Risen Lord,

So, it's a sign, just a sign,

but it's a sign
of the resurrection.

[Florian] I truly believe
that we have here

the relics of Mary Magdalene.

And I cannot
prove it historically,

but I can experience
in this place,

there is a special blessing,

grace, presence
of Mary Magdalene.

[narrator]
Today, the basilica
of Saint Maximin

has been built on the spot

where Mary Magdalene
was apparently found.

Many claim it was funded
by the sale

of some of her body parts
as relics.

[Florian] In Europe,
most big cathedrals
of the big cities,

they have different relics
of Mary Magdalene.

Probably, I say probably,
given by the monks here

for some money to build
this beautiful basilica.

[narrator] While the church
doesn't question

the veracity of the skull,

some scholars have
their doubts.

[Lynn] Call me an old cynic,

but I don't think
that's Mary Magdalene.

Um, but, in a way
it doesn't matter.

It's what people believe,

and it's a focus for
their great love of her.

They see her as somebody
worth revering.

Not just a pathologically
sobbing prostitute.

[Karen] The skull found
in St. Maximin

is clearly something
of great importance

to those who venerate
religious relics.

But as to whether
it could be tied
to any individual,

much less Mary Magdalene,
I'm pretty skeptical.

[narrator] Could the skull
of Mary Magdalene

really be in this crypt?

Or does other evidence
point to

her final resting place
being elsewhere?

Some suggest
an ulterior motive

behind the supposed
discovery of the saint.

We mustn't forget that
the time that, um,

Charles II of Provence, um,

allegedly found
Mary Magdalene's relics,

that was a huge time

for the relic industry
in general.

And Mary Magdalene being big

in the south of France anyway,

she was
the ultimate Christian saint

to find the relic of.

What you have
to remember
is that if you are an abbey,

if you are a monastery,

and you just happen to chance
upon the relics of an apostle,

or a saint,
that is big business.

You know, you are
gonna attract pilgrims

from all over Europe
and the world.

Goodness me, if you've got
Mary Magdalene,

well, you know, ka-ching,
you're in the big time.

If you look at
Saint Maximin today,

it is
a relatively small place,

dominated by its basilica,

and dominated by the legend
of Mary Magdalene, and...

You know, you don't have to be
cynical to think, "Ooh."

There was
this big pilgrimage trade,

which generated money.

It was all a kind of
generating industry.

[narrator] Pat believes
the letter he has

backs up the legend

that Mary's body was found
in this town.

However, he thinks the skull

in the golden sarcophagus
is a fake,

and her real remains
lie hidden elsewhere.

For me, there's no question

that they found the body
of Mary Magdalene

on this place.

But it could be
that this skull

was replaced by someone,

um, who took it
to another secret location.

[narrator] According to Pat,

the 13th-century document
he discovered

refers to someone
who had access
to the treasured relics,

and could have moved them
without raising any suspicion.

This is the original document
of Pope Boniface VII.

On this Latin document
you see Bugoni de Vicinis,

which is the Latin name
of Hugues de Voisins.

I think he took the body
to his hometown.

[narrator] With this
new evidence,

Pat is hoping
he can finally unlock

the 2000 year old mystery,

and find
Mary Magdalene's remains.

If we find Mary Magdalene,
we will rewrite history.

[narrator]
Since the Biblical era,

people have been searching

for the remains
of Mary Magdalene.

Despite a 2,000 year hunt,

no one has found and verified
the elusive saint's remains.

It's always possible

that we're just looking
in the wrong place

for the remains
of Mary Magdalene.

We don't really know
what happened to her

after the resurrection
of Jesus.

[narrator] Believing she
travelled to France,

Pat Jokl and fellow
amateur archaeologist,
Ronnie Endler,

are following leads
other may have missed.

They have found
a medieval letter

to the Pope in an archive,

which they believe
sheds some new light

on what happened
to Mary Magdalene's body.

[Pat] So, this is the copy.

And you can see,

[translating] "We are in
possession of Mary Magdalene,

in the church of the priori
of Saint Maximin."

[narrator] For Pat,
this document proves

Mary Magdalene was found
by the Count of this Provence,

Charles II in Saint Maximin.

But it also mentions
a second name,

someone who had access
to the body

and could have moved it.

So, according to the document,
Charles II,

he ordered his
senechal de Provence,
Hugues de Voisins,

to protect the excavation site
of Mary Magdalene

and keep away the unbelievers
and uh,

not to steal anything
from the excavation site.

[narrator] Acting as
Charles II's enforcer,

Hugues de Voisins was
a wealthy landowner
and knight.

He would have understood
the power

the relics of
Mary Magdalene commanded.

Hugues de Voisins was such
a tiny character in history.

There's no pictures of him.

There's very little writing
about him or about his life.

But what we do know

could suggest that he played
a pivotal role

in one of the greatest
Christian mysteries.

[narrator] For Pat,
the French nobleman

did far more than just protect
the body of Mary Magdalene.

Pat believes that fearing
either theft

or destruction
of the holy relics,

Hugues de Voisins
hid the body.

So, we think Hugues de Voisins
took the body,

because um, once someone

came in possession
of a holy relic,

he would have more power
in this region.

We think he brought
bits and pieces,

if not the whole body,
to his hometown,

and hid it in a small church,

which is dedicated
to Mary Magdalene today.

[narrator] If Pat's correct,

Hugues de Voisins moved
Mary Magdalene's relics

over 200 miles,
to a small church

in a village
today known as Pezens.

The chapel of Pezens
dates to about
the 10th century.

But archaeological digs nearby
show the possibility

of over 2,000 years
of religious activity
in this site.

[narrator] According to
Pat's research,

back in medieval times,
this town was called Voisins,

after its patriarch,
Hugues de Voisins.

But the real smoking gun

is the name etched
into the wall

of the crypt at Saint Maximin,

where Mary Magdalene
was supposedly found.

We found, surprisingly,
in the crypt of Saint Maximin,

a writing which says "Voisin".

[narrator] To Pat,
this graffiti tells him

both who took the relics,

and the village
where they're hidden.

But that's not all.

Connected by a line
is another secret symbol,

which he thinks
is a medieval trail
of breadcrumbs,

leading to the saint's
secret tomb.

We are tracking down
an arched cross.

The Christians always
used it to pinpoint,

look, here is buried
a holy person.

[narrator] Pat believes
this graffiti is a secret code

left by Hugues de Voisins,

telling future generations

where he hid
Mary Magdalene's remains.

And to our surprise,
we went to Pezens,

and we found exactly
this arched cross.

Exactly. It's like a copy
of the one in the crypt.

We don't think this is just
ancient graffiti.

We think this is a map.

We think those arched crosses
will lead

to the final resting place
of Mary Magdalene.

[Karen] The theory
that French nobleman,
Hugues de Voisins,

in the 13th century,
removed these remains

from Saint Maximin

and re-interred them
in the chapel of Pezens.

Now, this is actually
not at all far-fetched,

as strange as it might sound.

I mean, there's a really
well-established tradition

in the medieval period
of moving remains,

if they were
particularly valued.

For example, the remains
of a saint.

Treasure hunters
who are out there

looking for Mary Magdalene,

could well be onto something.

In the South of France,

there are lots of clues
about the real Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] Pat is sure
the arched crosses

are a secret medieval code,

marking the tomb
of Jesus's
most devoted follower.

Armed with this evidence
and modern technology,

Pat is hoping he can reveal

the final resting place
of Mary Magdalene.

[narrator] Pat Jokl
is with fellow amateur
archaeologist, Ronnie Endler,

in Southern France.

They've spent
the last 20 years

searching for
the final resting place

of Mary Magdalene.

[Pat] We are now at Pezens.

And this is the Chapel
Mary Magdalene.

And we think Mary Magdalene
is buried inside here.

[narrator] Today, they will
try to verify their theory

that medieval aristocrat,
Hugues de Voisins,

moved the saint's remains

from where they were
originally discovered,

and secretly hid them
under this chapel.

To have that opportunity
to finally

put boots on the ground,

and do some survey on a site

that you have spent
years researching,

it's so exciting.

Ah. Ronnie.

The coat of arms
of the family, de Voisins.

See? This church belonged
to Hugues de Voisins.

You can see it, right?

It's all right. This is
the coat of arms

-of de Voisins.
-Yeah.

[narrator] Pat and Ronnie
have been tracking a symbol

known as the arched cross.

Look, Ronnie.
This is exactly...

the same sign. This is
the arched cross, like,

exactly like in Saint Maximin.

Look at that.
Do you see the resemblance?

This is fantastic.

[narrator] The chapel
appears to be covered

in the secret symbols.

[Pat] Wow. Look.

Look. One, two, three, four.

So, what Hugues de Voisins
was doing

with these crude symbols
etched into the walls,

was essentially leaving clues
to future generations

so they could find her body.

[narrator] If Pat's hunch
is correct,

beneath the chapel's floor
is a secret burial chamber.

When you see
this very small chapel today,

hundreds of people drive by
every single day.

It's almost insignificant.

But imagine if it actually
holds the bones

of Mary Magdalene.

This chapel is called
Chapel of the Magdalene.

Could that be a clue?

[narrator] To prove
his theory,

Pat is planning
a non-invasive survey,

using a magnetometer.

[Pat] So, what this machine
is doing

is to measure
the density of the soil.

So, it can see if the soil
was once disturbed,

or if someone
buried something,

or if there is
a void underneath.

A magnetometer is one
of the most useful devices

that archaeologists use
to basically look underground

without digging and see
what's there.

Archaeological tools
such as this

are non-destructive,
geo-physical methods

to understand
what's underground,

to locate voids
that may have been used

for burial sites.

[narrator] After 20 years
of research,

armed with his technology,

today Pat has gained
special access

from the local authorities

to carry out a survey
of the chapel's floor.

Okay. She might be
buried here.

-[laughs]
-Yeah.

[indistinct chatter]

All right, Ronnie.
The moment of truth.

-So, let's start scanning.
-Let's start scanning.

All right. Go.

[narrator] The machine detects
how the ground below

reacts to a magnetic field.

Once processed, it will create
an image of what's underneath.

[Pat] After all those years
of research,

we are finally here.
This is the moment of truth.

[Tony] I mean, can you imagine
the excitement

that there is in that chapel

as they are scanning the floor
of this medieval building,

to finally find out

if the body of Mary Magdalene
is deep down below?

Look.

This is another arched cross.

This is an old grave stone.

And it's exactly
where we think

Mary Magdalene is buried.
Coincidence?

[narrator] To Pat, this stone
is another breadcrumb,

suggesting that
Hugues de Voisins

could have hidden
Mary Magdalene's body here.

This could be
Mary Magdalene's grave stone.

[narrator] After years
of research,

Pat has finally managed
to scan

beneath the floor
of this church.

[Ronnie] Pat, we have finished
the scan.

Right. Okay.

[Pat] Well done.

-Hopefully we will
find something.
-[laughs] Yes.

[Pat] Okay, great.

[narrator] If Pat's correct,

the results will show
a large void

under the chapel's floor,

where Mary Magdalene may have
laid hidden for centuries.

[narrator] Pat Jokl and fellow
amateur archaeologist,
Ronnie Endler,

are in Southern France,

searching for the grave
of Mary Magdalene.

Following a trail of clues,

they have tracked her down
to a village in Pezens,

where they have performed
the magnetometer survey,

to see
beneath the chapel's floor.

We just transferred the data

from the device
to the computer.

[narrator] Pat's hoping
the results show

a secret crypt
below the chapel.

-[Ronnie] We've done it.
-[Pat] We've done it.
[laughs]

[Pat sighs] Great.

[narrator] For Pat,
the results are conclusive.

After 20 years of research,

this reading shows
we are right.

There is something underneath.

Clearly, you can see
on this image,

the color blue.

And blue, blue reading
always shows, uh,

low density of the ground.

So that shows clearly
that there is a void,

exactly where it should be.
In front of the altar.

It's very, very likely that...

in this church, in this void,
whatever it is,

the remains of Mary Magdalene
are buried, yes.

[narrator] Could Pat
really have found the grave

of Jesus's
most devoted follower?

The results to me look like
the detection of spaces

in between rock
or solid ground.

So, that could have been
either a space

intentionally carved out,
or natural cave.

It definitely means
that there is a void

underneath the chapel.

[narrator] Yet some believe

the results are far
from certain.

[Karen] These results
indicate some sort of
magnetic anomaly

in this chapel.

But it does not, to my eye,

suggest the presence
of a grave of any kind.

[narrator] While some agree

the results support
Pat's theory,

further work is needed
before he can finally uncover

the remains of Mary Magdalene.

Pat would need to obtain
permits to dig
beneath the church,

which could take years.

Yeah, next step would be, uh,
we need to dig,

and we need to confirm
what the machine picked up.

It could be natural,
of course,

it could be a natural cave.

Uh, but it could be
also the crypt.

But for now, this is the best
result we could get.

[narrator] If the Biblical
story is correct,

some 2,000 years ago,

Mary Magdalene walked
the Earth with Christ.

Whether a prostitute, wife,
or just devout follower,

she has left behind a legacy

that many would argue
is second to none.

Mary Magdalene is certainly
the most important woman

in the New Testament.

She is also, arguably,

one of the most important
women in history.

Largely because of the way
she has reacted against,

and that informed the way,
certainly the Catholic church,

behaved towards women
for two millennium.

If we were able to prove

that the remains
of a human body

were those of Mary Magdalene,

that would prove the veracity
of the Bible.

If Mary Magdalene's remains
were found and verified,

this would be
a momentous occasion.

I do find an interest
in people

who are still searching

for the remains
of Mary Magdalene.

I think for many of them,
it will be a concrete fact

of what has been based
in faith for so long.

[narrator] Sceptics doubt
if we will ever know for sure

if we've found
the saint's remains.

Honestly,
it's entirely possible

that somebody
somewhere, someday,

will find the remains

of the woman
who was Mary Magdalene.

Will we be able to identify
her as such?

Almost certainly not.

[narrator] Regardless,
intrigue lingers to this day.

It's fascinating that
in the 20th century,

where we have
conspiracy theories

that cover everything,

from microchips and vaccines
to vapor trails,

probably the most widely known

conspiracy theory in the world

centers on Mary Magdalene.

If you wanna know my opinion,
as to where exactly

Mary Magdalene is buried,

I think the most likely answer
would be

she's probably buried
in the Holy Land.

So, to all
those treasure hunters,

let's just first make sure

that we are not
missing something

directly below our noses
here in the Holy Land.

[narrator] But for some,
the search continues.

It's great. It's amazing.

But we need to take
another step.

Now, this will be
a hard piece of work,

but, um, yeah, we came so far.

I feel great.
I will go with Pat,

even if it takes
another 20 years.

As long as I am alive,
I will never give up

looking for
Mary Magdalene's remains.