Christian Saints
St. Joachim
The
Protoevangelium
of James names St. Joachim the husband of St.
Anne and the father of Virgin Mary. He was a rich man in Jerusalem.
After twenty years of marriage, they were still childless. Once when Joachim
came to the Temple on a feast day to make an offering, he was turned away
by the high priest for being childless. Much ashamed Joachim did not return
home, instead he spent the night with his shepherds in the desert, where
an angel appeared to him and foretold that Anne would give birth to a daughter,
who should be called Mary. The girl, in her turn, would become the mother
of Jesus, 'Son of the Most High.' As proof Joachim was to meet his wife
at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. The angel then appeared to Anne with a
similar message.
Feast day: July 26 (with St. Anne)
See: Lucas Cranach the Elder The
Appearance of an Angel before Joachim.
Domenico Ghirlandaio Expulsion
of Joachim from the Temple.
Giotto Meeting
at the Golden Gate, Joachim's Dream,
Joachim
Taking Refuge among the Shepherds. Rejection
of Joachim's Sacrifice. The
Sacrifice of Joachim.
Benozzo Gozzoli. Tabernacle
of the Visitation: Expultion of Joachim from the Temple. Tabernacle
of the Visitation: Annunciation to Joachim. Tabernacle
of the Visitation: Meeting at the Golden Gate.
Jean Hey, Master of Moulin. Meeting
at the Golden Gate.
Konrad Witz Meeting
of Joahim and Anna by the Golden Gates.
Recommended reading:
The
Book of Saints: The Lives of the Saints According to the Liturgical Calendar
by George Angelini, Victor Hoagland (Editor). Regina Press, Malhame &
Company, 1986.
365
Saints: Your Daily Guide to the Wisdom and Wonder of Their Lives
by Woodeene Koenig-Brick (Author). Harper SanFrancisco, 1995.
The
Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford Paperback Reference) by
David Hugh Farmer. Oxford University Press, 2003.
