Christian Saints

St. Anne

St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, is not mentioned in the New Testament. Her name appears for the first time in the Protevangelium of James, an apocryphal gospel of the second century. Anne was married to Joachim, she loved and respected her husband, but they were both deeply unhappy as they were childless. Once an angel appeared to Anne and said that she would give birth to a daughter, Mary. When Anne laughed bitterly in disbelief, the angel asked her to come next day to the Golden Gate, where as proof of his prophesy she was to meet her husband.
    The scene of Anne’s meeting with her husband, Joachim, at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem is most often shown in fine arts. The painters of the Renaissance liked to portray Anne with her daughter, the Virgin Mary, and the Infant. Another popular subject - Anne is teaching her daughter, Mary, to read.
Feast day: July 26 (with St. Joachim); July 25 in the East.

See: Lucas Cranach the Elder.St. Anne with the Duchess of Saxony.
Gerard David. The St. Anne Alterpiece.
Albrecht Dürer St. Anne with the Virgin and Child.
Giotto Meeting at the Golden Gate. The Angel Appearing to St. Anne.
Benozzo Gozzoli. Tabernacle of the Visitation: Meeting at the Golden Gate.
El Greco The Holy Family with St. Anne and the Young John the Baptist.
Jean Hey, Master of Moulin.Meeting at the Golden Gate.
Georges de La Tour. The Newborn.
Leonardo da Vinci Virgin and Child with St. Anne.
Fra Filippo Lippi Madonna and Child with Stories of the Life of St. Anne.
Lorenzo Lotto Madonna and Child with St. Jerome, St. Joseph and St. Anne.
Masaccio and Masolino St. Anne Meterza.
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, 1986.
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Oxford Paperback Reference) by David Hugh Farmer. Oxford University Press, 2003.
 

Christian Saints Index

Home      Artist Index     Country Index

4.9
gray starorange star
Google
Customer Reviews