Contents S. Anna, Matris B. V. Mariae
St. Anne, Mother of the B. V. Mary		 Home


According to tradition, St. Anne was the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and thus grandmother of Jesus. She is not mentioned in Scripture and what little is known is taken mostly from the "Protoevangelium of James", a second century document. In the early Church of the East, the Protoevangelium had great authority and portions of it were read on the feasts of Mary by the Greeks, Syrians, Copts, and Arabians. It was not well received in the West until its contents were incorporated by Jacobus de Voragine into his "Golden Legend", which was written in the 13th century. From that time on devotion the St. Anne spread throughout the West and she became one of the more popular saints in the West as well as the East. The Protoevangelium also mentions St. Joachim as the husband of St. Anne, and thus Jesus' grandfather.

In the East, the veneration of St. Anne can be traced to the fourth century. Her feast is on July 25th. Likewise, St. Joachim was also honored very early by the Greeks. The East celebrate the feast of Sts. Joachim and St. Anne on the 9th of September. In the West, her feast was first observed in the 13th century and falls on July 26th. St. Joachim's feast was originally observed on August 16th, where it is today in the '62 Missal. In the post-SVC liturgy, they now share a common feast on July 26th.

Preces et Devotiones ad S. Annam (Prayers and devotions to St. Anne)
Officia Parva (Little Offices)


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