Ann (or Anne) and her husband Joachim waited many years to have a child, and they delighted in their daughter Mary, who grew up to become the mother of Jesus Christ. Tradition holds that it was St. Ann who taught the Virgin Mary about the scriptures and nurtured her brilliant faith.
St. Ann is usually depicted instructing Mary from a book or holding the infant Virgin, the infant Jesus or both her daughter and her grandson on her lap. Her symbols reflect her role as a nurturer and as the founding mother of a holy line. They include a flowering rod, an infant in a crib, the Golden Gate of Jerusalem, a crown and a nest of baby birds. She is the patron saint of mothers, housewives, grandparents, seamstresses and equestrians. Due to her own long struggle to conceive, she is also the patroness of childless couples. As a result Ann Saint Medals are popular among these groups.
