Saint Anna ( Saint Anne, also Ann or Anna, from the Jewish Hannah ) — in Christianity, the mother of the Virgin, the grandmother of Jesus Christ ( the Mother of God ), the wife of St. Joachim ( St. Joachim ), who gave birth to a daughter miraculously after many years of childless marriage.
St. Anne is treated as a defender of pregnant women. It is to her who their prayers are addressed so that the birth is easy, the child is born healthy, and that there is enough milk. Saint Anna is also the patroness of laundresses and embroiderers, since these crafts are associated with the functions of the mother.
In the Orthodox and Catholic churches, she is ranked among the saints.
Catholicism celebrates St. Anne's Day ( Feast of Saint Anne ) July 26 and December 8 — the day of conception of the Virgin Mary, which the Roman Catholic Church considers immaculate, interpreting this in the sense, that the original sin did not pass on to Mary, but it is by no means that she, like Jesus, was conceived in a very special way. According to the doctrine of the Franciscans, the conception of the Virgin Mary occurred as a result of the hug and kiss at the Golden Gate, and this miracle was the first act of Divine Salvation.
The Orthodox Church celebrates the Assumption of the righteous Anna, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 7.