Saint Anna
Saint Anne – in Hebrew: Hannah – meaning “grace”. Her feast day falls on 26 July – or on 9 September in the Eastern Church.
She is the mother of Mary and therefore the grandmother of Jesus. Her husband was named Joachim. During the Middle Ages, devotion to Saint Anne was deeply beloved. She was regarded as the patron saint of mothers, women in childbirth and families. People prayed to her for protection, health and a safe home.
In icons and images, she is often portrayed wearing a red mantle – symbolizing love, life and protection.
A well-known medieval representation is “Saint Anne Trinity”. In this image, Anne, Mary and the Christ Child are shown together. It symbolized family bonds, protection, upbringing, the passing on of faith and the connection between generations.
As the grandmother of Jesus, Anne embodies the link between the Old and the New Covenant. In her, people recognized something deeply human: motherly love, protection, wisdom, education and the bridge between generations.
According to ancient traditions, an angel appeared to Anne announcing that she would bear a child. That child was to be dedicated to God. According to tradition, Anne brought her daughter Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem at a young age, to live there in service to the Lord.
👈🏻 The Presentation of Mary in the Temple of Jerusalem
In the medieval worldview, Saint Anne was seen as the heart of the family — the one who passed on life, faith and protection from generation to generation. During the Middle Ages, people saw not only statues, candles and altars of Saint Anne in churches, but also in their homes — this was how they prayed to her.
She was often surrounded by white lilies. The white lilies frequently depicted alongside Mary and Saint Anne carried a deeper meaning. In the Middle Ages, a flower was never merely decoration. The white lily symbolized purity, light, devotion and spiritual innocence. Especially with Mary, the lily continually returned as a sign of her connection to God. Thus, in the medieval world, not only words spoke — but also color, flowers and symbols.
The feast day of Saint Anne is 26 July and was celebrated with processions, masses, candles and prayers for mothers, families and children.
In this spirit, the Virgin Mary is still honored every year during the grand Maria Ommegang in Bergen op Zoom, with more than 700 participants. This year, it will take place on 28 June for the 82nd time — truly worth experiencing.
Maria Ommegang Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands
