Joachim, Saint

   Joachim is the father of the Virgin Mary. While in Jerusalem, where he and his wife Anne went to sacrifice to God, Joachim was expelled from the temple by the high priest for not having been blessed with children. Shamed, he went into the mountains and there he prayed, asking for his barrenness to be lifted. In a dream, an angel informed him that God had heard his prayers and that his wife was now with child. This was deemed a miracle as Joachim and Anne were of advanced age. Joachim returned to Jerusalem to meet his wife at the city gates, as commanded by the angel. The story, which stems from the Apocrypha, was depicted in various scenes by Giotto in the Arena Chapel, Padua (1305), and Taddeo Gaddi in the Baroncelli Chapel (1332-1338) at Santa Croce, Florence.