St. Mary Magdalene Church 5.08

St. Mary Magdalene Church of Kawit, also known as Kawit Church is the parish church of the municipality of Kawit, Cavite in the Philippines. The Roman Catholic church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines, construction of the present church was started in 1737. The church was last restored in 1990 by the citizens of Kawit.Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the First Philippine Republic was baptized in this church, his birth certificate is kept on the left side of the altar. The church is known for healing and resolution to personal problems. The current parish priest of the church is Rev. Fr. Andy Manaog.St. Mary Magdalene's statueThe miraculous life-size image of Mary Magdalene in Kawit has a "mark" in the middle of her forehead, it resembles a mole and no living local in Kawit knows why the statue has such a mark. Speculations suggests that this is the symbolic mark of Jesus's fingertip during the resurrection when he had appeared to Magdalene and said Noli me tangere (Touch me not). Some suggests that this mark is to clearly distinguish her identity from the Virgin Mary.The antique statue is a detailed wooden sculpture with carved hair, draped clothing and a pair of silver shoes, she holds a crucifix on her left hand and a jar of perfume on the right hand. Her detailed carved clothing is a mixture of pink, orange, gold and a hint of light green beneath the orange draping. This detailed wardrobe is not usually seen because, by tradition, the image is always clothed with a gown, usually red in color with gold embroideries and orange, yellow or golden cape. A long wig that reaches to the hem of the gown is also placed on top of her carved hair. Three yellow strips of ribbon (or sash) is pinned horizontally to her gown to secure the wig from being displaced, and at the bottom, a pocket catches the ends of her wig. Only the face and hands are repainted from time to time, and the rest of the image's original paint is untouched.