Diptych of The meeting of St Joachim and St Anne with a prayer to St Anne

Description Diptych of The meeting of St Joachim and St Anne with a prayer to St Anne

This diptych represents the meeting of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. This theme refers to a passage from the gospel of James, which is an apocryphal account very considered in the Churches of the East. Several of these texts are found in the liturgy for the feasts of Saint Anne or the Blessed Virgin.
Saint Anne and Saint Joachim were sterile and advanced in age. Saint Joachim had gone alone to mourn in the desert, the infertility of his marriage. After a few days each of the spouses had the visit of an Angel who announced the next birth of the Blessed Virgin. He invited Saint Joachim and Saint Anne to meet and the meeting took place in front of a gate in the city of Jerusalem, called the beautiful Gate. It is therefore this episode that the icon chosen for this diptych represents.
On this icon Saint Anne is represented as in movement: feet apart, the coat that flies. She has therefore just found Saint Joachim, the prelude to their chaste union which will give birth to the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God. This union of the spouses is symbolized by the two faces which touch, cheek against cheek. The two spouses are placed on a platform which seems suspended; by this device is symbolized the supernatural, almost incorporeal dimension of the embrace of the two spouses. The buildings in the background represent the holy city.
Saint Anne is considered the Patroness of mothers, because she had the privilege of the first education of the Most Holy Virgin. In consideration of this mission as mother of Mary, divine Providence enriched Saint Anne with special graces to be up to the task.
For this reason we have chosen as the right part of this diptych a prayer from a mother to Saint Anne. This beautiful prayer reminds us that the most important thing is the good of the soul and the kingdom of Heaven that we must not sacrifice in any case for material or temporal advantages.
This diptych is perfectly suited for a wedding gift: the attitude of Saint Anne and Saint Joachim symbolizes the union of hearts which must reign in the couple. The prayer in the right section is an invitation to pray to Saint Anne in the difficulties of raising children and transmitting the faith.

Quotation :

Prière d'une Mère pour ses Enfants

Ô glorieuse sainte Anne, "Patronne des familles chrétiennes", je vous présente mes enfants. Je sais que je les ai reçus de Dieu et qu'ils lui appartiennent.
Aussi je vous prie de m'obtenir la grâce de me soumettre toujours avec eux à la divine Providence.
Daignez les bénir, et, en vous suppliant de leur obtenir la bénédiction de Dieu, je ne demande en leur faveur ni les honneurs du monde, ni les biens de la terre.
Ma prière sera plus chrétienne et plus agréable à vos yeux si je demande avant tout le Royaume de Dieu et sa justice.
Je compte, bonne Mère, que vous m'aiderez à leur procurer ce qui est nécessaire pour leur assurer une existence digne.
Imprimez dans le coeur de mes enfants une grande horreur du péché. Eloignez-les du mal.
Préservez-les de la corruption du monde. Qu'ils soient toujours animés de sentiments chrétiens. Accorde-leur la simplicité et la droiture du coeur.
Apprends-leur à aimer Dieu uniquement, comme vous l'avez appris, dès ses plus tendres années, à votre Fille Immaculée, la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie.