- Flourished:
- c.100 BCE - c.1 BCE
- Notable Family Members:
- spouse Saint Joachim
- daughter Mary
St. Anne
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Who was St. Anne?
According to tradition, St. Anne was the mother of the Virgin Mary. The non-scriptural sources, the 2nd-century Protevangelium of James and the 3rd-century Evangelium de nativitate Mariae, state that Anne was born in Bethlehem in Judaea and married Joachim. Because they were childless, Anne promised to dedicate her firstborn to God's service. They then received a vision that Anne would conceive Mary. In fulfillment of this promise, Joachim and Anne brought Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem when she was three years old.
St. Anne is one of the patron saints of Brittany and Canada, as well as of women in labour. Anne and her husband, Joachim, are also regarded as the patron saints of grandparents because they are the grandparents of Jesus. Their feast day is celebrated on July 26.
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Why is St. Anne important in Christian tradition?
In Christian tradition, St. Anne is revered as the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus. The story of Anne comes from non-scriptural sources, such as the 2nd-century Protevangelium of James, which tells of Anne's grief over her barrenness and the divine promise that she would bear Mary.
The Protevangelium account of St. Anne's life became the foundation for establishing the liturgical feasts of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (September 8) and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8). The dedication of Mary at the Temple became so important in church doctrine that Pope Sixtus V included in the Western church calendar the liturgical feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (November 21). As the grandmother of Jesus, Anne is also considered a patron saint of grandparents.
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Who was St. Anne’s daughter, and why is she famous?
St. Anne, according to tradition, was the mother of the Virgin Mary, and therefore the grandmother of Jesus. Information about St. Anne comes from non-scriptural sources dated to the 2nd and 3rd centuries. According to these sources, Anne and her husband Joachim were a devout, wealthy couple who, after a period of childlessness, were visited by an angel who told them that Anne would conceive and bear a child. They named their daughter Mary. In fulfillment of a divine promise, Anne and Joachim brought Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem to be raised there.
Mary is revered in Christianity and has achieved great cultural importance. The New Testament tells of Mary's humility and obedience to God's message, making her an example for Christians of all ages.
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How do people honor or celebrate St. Anne?
Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, is honored and celebrated through various traditions and feast days. Her cult has been fervent since as early as the 4th century, with many churches built in her honor.
Devotion to St. Anne is expressed through liturgical feasts such as the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (September 8), the Immaculate Conception (December 8), and the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (November 21). As the patron saint of Brittany and Canada, women in labor, and grandparents, St. Anne's feast day is celebrated on July 26. In art, depictions of the Holy Family with St. Anne have been especially popular.
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What stories or legends are told about St. Anne’s life?
Legends about St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, come from non-scriptural sources, like the 2nd-century Protevangelium of James and the 3rd-century Gospel of the Nativity of Mary. These texts say Anne was born in Bethlehem and married Joachim in Nazareth. Although wealthy and devout, they were childless and grieved over it.
One story tells that Joachim, upset by his sterility, went to the countryside to pray. At the same time, Anne promised God that if she had a child, she would dedicate it to His service. An angel appeared to them, announcing that Anne would conceive and bear Mary. Fulfilling their promise, Joachim and Anne brought three-year-old Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem to be raised.
Later legends suggest that after Joachim died, Anne remarried and became the grandmother of several apostles.
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How has St. Anne influenced art, culture, or religious practices around the world?
Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, has significantly influenced art, culture, and religious practices globally. Her cult was fervent in the Eastern church as early as the 4th century, leading to the construction of many churches in her honor. The Protevangelium account of St. Anne's life became the foundation for establishing the liturgical feasts of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Devotion to St. Anne was further promoted by post-Reformation popes. In art, depictions of the Holy Family with St. Anne were especially popular in Germany, where they first appeared in the 14th century and were widely represented in the 15th century; in the 15th and 16th centuries they were also frequently depicted in Italy and Spain.
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St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin Mary, according to tradition derived from certain apocryphal writings. St. Anne is one of the patron saints of Brittany and Canada and of women in labour. As the grandparents of Jesus, Anne and her husband Joachim are also considered the patron saints of grandparents; their feast day is celebrated on July 26.
Information concerning her life, which startlingly parallels the Old Testament story of the barren Hannah and her conception of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1), is found in the 2nd-century Protevangelium of James (“First Gospel of James”) and the 3rd-century Evangelium de nativitate Mariae (“Gospel of the Nativity of Mary”). According to these non-scriptural sources, Anne (Hebrew: Ḥannah) was born in Bethlehem in Judaea. She married Joachim, and they shared a wealthy and devout life at Nazareth. Grieved by her barrenness, Anne promised God that she would dedicate her firstborn child to the Lord’s service. The couple then received a vision of an angel, who announced that Anne would conceive and bear a most wondrous child, Mary. When the child was three years old, Joachim and Anne, in fulfillment of her divine promise, brought Mary to the Temple of Jerusalem, where they left her to be brought up.
The Protevangelium account of the life of St. Anne became the foundation for establishing the liturgical feasts of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (September 8) and the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8), which is usually observed as a holy day of obligation. The dedication of Mary at the Temple became so important in church doctrine that by 1585 Pope Sixtus V included in the Western church calendar the liturgical feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary (November 21). Although this festival originated early in the East, probably at Jerusalem in 543, its first Western observance was recorded in England in the 11th century. Indeed, the Protevangelium long had great authority in Eastern churches, and portions of it were read during the various feasts of Mary by the Greeks, Syrians, and Copts.
In addition to the narrative of the Protevangelium, certain other traditions hold that Anne, widowed shortly after the presentation of Mary at the Temple, subsequently remarried (once or twice) and is the grandmother of one or more of the Apostles, including John and James (sons of Zebedee), Simon, Jude, and James the Less (son of Alphaeus) and also of James, “the Lord’s brother,”, depending on the source. Eastern literature on Anne, going back to the 4th century, does not follow the fantastic legends of medieval Western tradition. The mother of Mary is revered in Islam, though she is not named in the Qurʾān.
Anne’s cult was fervent in the Eastern church as early as the 4th century, and many churches, the first dating from the 6th century, were built in her honour. In the early 8th century, Pope Constantine probably introduced her devotion to Rome. Anne became extremely popular in the Middle Ages and influenced such theologians as Jean de Gerson, Konrad Wimpinar, and Johann Eck. In response to attacks on her cult by Protestant reformers, devotion to St. Anne was further promoted by post-Reformation popes. In art, depictions of the Holy Family with St. Anne were especially popular in Germany, where they first appeared in the 14th century and were widely represented in the 15th; in the 15th and 16th centuries they were also frequently depicted in Italy and Spain.