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. Anne is also portrayed in
the depictions of the Holy Family beside her daughter, the Virgin Mary,
and the Infant. |
