The Lives of the Saints through 100 Masterpieces

Joachim

The Lives of the Saints 126 Joachim July 26 (or August 16) Joachim has provided an iconographic theme celebrated in countless masterpieces found in all major museums. In our day, however, its significance escapes most museum-goers, including those who are Christian. Because the story of Anne and Joachim is not found in the canonical texts of the Bible, it has fallen into oblivion over the last two centuries. However, for nearly 1,000 years, it inspired artists and nourished the people’s fervor. The Protoevangelium of James tells us that after 20 years of marriage , Anne and Joachim remained childless. This sterility was interpreted by the priests of the temple of Jerusalem as a sign of disgrace before God. Without telling anyone, Joachim, in despair, took refuge in the desert with his flocks. There an angel appeared to him in a dream, ordering him to return: upon arriving in the city, at the Golden Gate, he would meet his wife, who had also been favored with a similar dream when admiring the fecundity of a pair of sparrows in her garden. The dream became reality—Anne and Joachim returned to their home and conceived a child to whom they gave the name Mary. Some hold that the Blessed Virgin was born out of the mere embrace exchanged by the elderly couple at the gates of Jerusalem. Thus, one of the most celebrated embraces in art history is one of the least known in our time, and other details of the story have fallen into even greater oblivion. Giotto de Gondone (1266–1337) Joachim’s Dream Cappella dell’Arena, Padua ...