Elsewhere, Garth Davis, the film’s director, explained to the BBC that the claim that Mary was a sex worker comes from Pope Gregory I, who declared her to be a penitent prostitute in the year 591.

Despite there being no evidence for this in any of the New Testament gospels, the myth continued for many years – and the Catholic Church only “cleared” her name in 1969 (Pope Francis formally identified her as the “apostle of the apostles” in 2016).

“To learn it was an invention of Pope Gregory was astonishing, and to learn that Mary’s story had never been told in a popular way was tragic,” said Davis.

“I felt that her story absolutely had to be told, and I felt even more impassioned to tell it once I knew it had been hidden for so long.”

It is worth noting that Mary is mentioned 12 times in the New Testament, making her the second most mentioned woman, after the Virgin Mary. Most references are found in the Crucifixion and empty tomb narratives, where she is portrayed as a loyal disciple at the foot of the cross and as one of the first witnesses to the Resurrection.

Unlike other women in the Bible, though, Mary is not identified in relation to another person: she is not anyone’s mother, wife, or sister. Instead, she is called Mary of Magdala, a title that implies some prominence in the city – and she is consistently portrayed as a crucial player in arguably the most important event in Christianity: Jesus’ resurrection.

“Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asks his beloved friend, according to John’s Resurrection account (20:1-18).

Mary Magdalene initially mistakes Jesus for the gardener, who had just asked the same question of her. But then she turns and in her recognition calls out, “Rabbouni” (meaning “rabbi” or “teacher”). Then Mary of Magdala goes to tell the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.”

Considering the prevailing attitude toward women in those times, it is telling that all four gospels (each of which was penned by a man) are consistent in placing Mary at the centre of this story: if they could have written her out, they undoubtedly would have.

With this in mind, then, it’s about time that St. Mary of Magdalene got her own movie.

Mary Magdalene will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 16 March – and it has definitely earned its place on our list of the 26 films every feminist needs to watch in 2018.

To view the list in full, click here.

Why Rooney Mara’s portrayal of Mary Magdalene is so very important