Saint Anne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saint Anne
Greek icon of Saint Anne with the Virgin, by Angelos Akotantos (c. 1420–1450)
Mother of the Virgin, Maternal Heroine Woman of Amram
Born	Before c. 49 BC Bethlehem, Hasmonean Judea
Died	After c. 4 AD
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Church Anglican Communion Lutheranism Islam Afro-American religions
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Major shrine	Apt Cathedral, Basilica of Sainte-Anne d'Auray, Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Feast	Catholic Church: 26 July Eastern Orthodox Church: 9 September 25 July
Attributes	Book; door; with Mary, Jesus or Joachim; woman dressed in red or green
Patronage	Mothers grandparents pregnant women children unmarried people teachers carpenters child care providers seamstresses lacemakers secondhand-clothes dealers equestrians stablemen miners lost things loving homes poverty sterility Brittany Canada Detroit Taguig Triana, Seville Santa Ana, Pampanga Hagonoy, Bulacan Barili, Cebu Molo, Iloilo City Kurunegala Catholic Diocese, Sri Lanka Fasnia, Tenerife Mainar Marsaskala Carmelites

Saint Anne (also known as Ann or Anna) is known in Christianity as the mother of Mary. This means she was the grandmother of Jesus. Her husband was named Joachim. Anne's name is not actually written in the Bible's four canonical gospels. Instead, stories about her come from early Christian writings called the New Testament apocrypha. The most famous of these books is the Gospel of James, written around 150 AD. Saint Anne is also loved and respected in Islam, where she is described as a good and faithful woman.

Today, millions of people honor Saint Anne around the world. She is considered a loving helper for mothers, grandmothers, teachers, and horseback riders. Beautiful churches, festivals, and great works of art celebrate her important role in history.

Who Was Saint Anne?

Masolino and Masaccio, Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (c. 1424), Uffizi, Florence

Saint Anne grew up in ancient times in Bethlehem. Her name comes from the Hebrew name Hannah, which means grace or favor. Like Hannah in the story of the prophet Samuel, Anne and her husband Joachim waited many years to have a child. They prayed for a long time and promised to dedicate their child to serving God.

According to early writings, an angel appeared to Anne and promised that she would give birth to a daughter. That daughter was Mary, who grew up to become the mother of Jesus. Because of this, Eastern Christians call Anne and Joachim the Ancestors of God.

Anne's extended family also included important figures. Her sister was Sobe, who became the mother of Elizabeth. Later European traditions said Anne's mother was named Emerentia. Anne spent her life teaching her daughter Mary about faith, goodness, and sacred books.

Stories From Early Books

The books of the New Testament did not include details about Mary's parents. Early Christians wanted to learn more about Mary's childhood. Writers recorded popular memories and stories in the Gospel of James, composed in Koine Greek.

Some early church leaders, including Jerome, Pope Damasus I, Pope Innocent I, and Pope Gelasius I, questioned whether every detail in that book was true. Even so, the stories were loved by ordinary people. Later books, such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, continued to retell these warm tales about Anne's family life.

Beliefs in the Church

Over the centuries, scholars such as John of Damascus wrote about Anne's goodness. In the Catholic tradition, people celebrate the Immaculate Conception, which is the belief that Mary was born without original sin.

Devotion to Anne grew strongly in the Middle Ages. The writer Vincent of Beauvais included her story in his famous encyclopedia called Speculum Maius, using details from an earlier nun named Hrotsvitha. In 1854, Pope Pius IX gave an official statement called Ineffabilis Deus, explaining this long-held belief about Mary and her mother Anne.

How People Honor Saint Anne

Birth of St. Anne, by Adriaen van Overbeke (c. 1521–1525)

People have shown veneration to Saint Anne for over 1,500 years. As early as the year 550, Emperor Justinian built a grand church for her in Constantinople. In Rome, an ancient painting from the 700s was created in the church of Santa Maria Antiqua.

Devotion spread across Europe, especially in the south of France and northern towns like Douai. People built stone shrines, held parades, and sang hymns in her honor. She was seen as a caring protector for families, sailors, and workers.

Famous Shrines and Pilgrimages

Many people make journeys called pilgrimages to visit holy places dedicated to Saint Anne:

• Ste-Anne-d'Auray in Brittany, France, where many travelers visit each year.
• Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec, Canada, famous for healings and celebrations.
• Apt Cathedral in southern France, home to ancient treasures honoring Anne.
• Düren in Germany, where pilgrims have visited the church of St. Anne since 1506. Relics were previously moved from the church of St. Stephen in Mainz with permission from Pope Julius II.

Saint Anne is also remembered in everyday language. On the island of Malta, people looking at the starry night sky call the Milky Way galaxy It-Triq ta' Sant'Anna, which means "The Way of St. Anne."

Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, c. 1140

Feast of Saint Anne in Marsaskala Parish Church [fr], Malta

Feast Days Around the World

Different Christian churches celebrate Saint Anne on special calendar days:

• Catholic Church: Celebrates Saint Anne and Saint Joachim on 26 July.
• Eastern Orthodox Church: Honors her on 25 July for the Dormition of Anne, on 9 September for the Nativity of Mary, and on 9 December for the Feast of the Conception of the Virgin Mary.
• Anglican Communion: The Church of England remembers Anne on 26 July with a Lesser Festival.
• Lutheranism: Celebrates Anne on 26 July. The reformer Martin Luther once prayed to Saint Anne during a scary lightning storm before deciding to become a monk with the Augustinian friars.
• Coptic Orthodox Church and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church: Honor her on 7 November.
• Armenian Apostolic Church: Remembers Anne on 9 December and after the feast of Mary.

Patron Saint of Many People and Places

A patron saint is a special protector and helper for certain jobs, groups, or towns. Saint Anne has one of the largest lists of patronages in the world.

Helping Families and Workers

Saint Anne is best known as the patron of mothers, grandmothers, teachers, and children. Because her family made clothing and everyday items, she is also the patron of seamstresses, lacemakers, and carpenters.

In the Middle Ages, people thought of Anne as a protector of miners. They compared Mary and Jesus to precious gold and silver, making Anne like the rich earth from which precious treasure came. Horseback riders and sailors also look to her to keep them safe from storms.

Cities and Regions Named After Her

Many places across the globe are named in honor of Saint Anne:

• The Americas: Towns such as Santa Ana in California, Detroit in Michigan, Norwich in Connecticut, Saint Anne in Illinois, Berlin in New Hampshire, and communities in New Mexico like Taos and Seama.
• Canada: Saint Anne is a beloved patron of the province of Quebec and the Mi'kmaq people.
• Central and South America: Cities in Brazil such as Anápolis, Botucatu, Ponta Grossa, and regions throughout Goiás and São Paulo; Cuenca in Ecuador; and Santa Ana in El Salvador.
• The Philippines: Towns like Santa Ana, Pampanga, Hagonoy, Taguig, and Molo.
• Europe and Beyond: Brittany in France, Marsaskala in Malta, Tudela in Spain, and the small island nation of the Seychelles. Even in Rome, the main parish church inside Vatican City is named Sant'Anna dei Palafrenieri.

St. Anne's Shrine, with a reliquary, Annakirche, Düren

Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada

Saint Anne in Famous Art

Christ in the House of His Parents by John Everett Millais, 1849–50

For centuries, painters and sculptors loved creating pictures of Saint Anne. In art, her symbols include a closed book or an open doorway. She is frequently painted wearing clothes colored in bright red and green. Red represents warm love, while green represents fresh life and hope.

Meeting at the Golden Gate

One favorite artistic subject was The Meeting at the Golden Gate. In this scene, Anne and her husband Joachim meet outside the famous Golden Gate in Jerusalem. They embrace joyfully after learning that they will finally have a daughter. This touching story was made famous by a popular medieval book of legends called the Golden Legend.

Generations Together

Artists often made paintings called the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. In German, this style is called the Anna Selbdritt. These pictures show three family generations at once: grandmother Anne, mother Mary, and child Jesus. Famous painters, including Leonardo da Vinci, made beautiful versions showing Anne smiling down lovingly at her family.

Another popular type of painting shows Anne teaching young Mary how to read. These scenes show Anne holding a scroll or book while Mary points at the words, reminding viewers how important education is for young girls.

In a Carpenter's Workshop

In modern times, British painter John Everett Millais created a famous painting called Christ in the House of His Parents. In this picture, Anne stands inside the carpentry shop of Joseph. She watches as Mary and Joseph gently comfort young Jesus after he scrapes his hand, while a young John the Baptist brings a cup of clear water to help wash it.

Saint Anne in Islam

Saint Anne is also honored by people of the Islamic faith. In Islam, she is known as Hannah (Arabic: حنة بنت فاقوذ, romanized: Ḥannah bint Faḳūdh). Although she is not named in the Quran directly, she is respectfully called "the wife of Imran."

The Quran tells a story about her patience and deep faith. For many years, she longed to have a baby. One afternoon, while resting quietly under the cool shade of a tree, she noticed a mother bird feeding its small chicks in their nest. This sight touched her heart, and she prayed to God for a baby of her own, promising that the child would serve God faithfully.

When her daughter was born, she gave thanks to God and named her Mary (Maryam). Her daughter was placed under the wise care of the prophet Zechariah. Muslims deeply respect Anne as a faithful mother whose daughter grew up to be one of the most revered women in human history.

Gallery

• Various depictions of Saint Anne
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  Adoration of the Magi, with St. Anne in the center (5th ct.), Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome

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  Coptic Saint Anne from Faras, Nubia (8th century), National Museum in Warsaw

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  Annunciation to Anne, mosaic (11th ct), Chora Church, Istanbul

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  Eastern Orthodox church la Martorana (12th ct.), Palermo, Sicily

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  Late Gothic Relief bust of crowned St. Anne, Annakirche, Düren, Germany

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  Legends of St. Anne (15th ct.), altar of St. Anne, cloister of the Carmelites, Frankfurt

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  Saint Anne and the Three Marys, from Hours of Étienne Chevalier, illuminated by Jean Fouquet (late 15th ct.), Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris

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  The Line of Saint Anne, Gérard David (c. 1500), Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

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  The Holy Kinship (early 16th ct.), Liebfrauenkirche Oberwesel, Germany

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  The Holy Family with St. Anne and St. John by El Greco (c. 1600), Biblioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer, Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona)

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  Saint Anne, James Tissot (late 19th ct.), Brooklyn Museum, New York

• The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
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  French polychromed wood sculpture (late 14th century), Bargello, Florence

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  Hans Memling, reverse of Munich Diptych (1480), Alte Pinakothek, Munich

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  Anna selbdritt (1500), St. Nicholas, Gundelsheim, Germany

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  Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin and Child with Saint Anne (c. 1501–19), Louvre, Paris

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  Cartouche with the Virgin and Child and Saint Anne by Daniel Seghers (c. 1590–1661), Dulwich Picture Gallery, London

• The Education of the Virgin
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  Guido Reni (1640–1642)

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  Jean Jouvenet (1700)

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  Josef Winterhalder the Younger (1766)

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  Eugène Delacroix (1842)

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  Iglesia del Salvador, Seville

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  Panel of a beehive decorated with St. Anne flanked by flowers, folk art of Slovenia (1842)

Music Written in Her Honor

Musicians throughout history have composed songs to honor Saint Anne. In France, the famous composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote two grand musical pieces called motets:

• Pour Ste Anne, created around 1675 for singing voices and instruments.
• Canticum Annae, created around 1680 to celebrate Anne's story through beautiful melodies.

See also

In Spanish: Ana (madre de María) para niños