The Life of St Anne and St Joachim - Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen, Rouen

Share this

Life of St Anne and St Joachim

 

This window narrates episodes from the apocryphal infancy cycle concerning St Anne and St Joachim, parents of the Virgin Mary. Executed in the early sixteenth century by a Rouen workshop, the glass combines dense architectural canopies with clear, compartmentalised scenes, allowing the viewer to follow the story across multiple lights.

On the left, Joachim is shown presenting his offering at the Temple and being turned away by the priest on account of the couple’s childlessness—a familiar opening to the cycle. In the adjacent panel, an angel appears to Anne as she reads or prays, announcing the promise of a child. The composition is typical of the period: Anne seated indoors, her posture calm, while the angel’s gesture and the surrounding golden cloud signal divine intervention.

At the centre of the window, Anne and Joachim meet at the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. Their embrace, set within a carefully rendered urban background, marks the reconciliation that follows their respective angelic visions, and signifies the conception of Mary. This panel is often the emotional focus of the cycle, and here it is given prominence through its central position and open landscape.

To the right, the narrative moves to Anne’s motherhood. Anne is depicted enthroned or seated, with the infant Mary presented to her by attendants, reflecting both the sanctity of the child and Anne’s role in nurturing her. The final panel continues with scenes of Mary’s early upbringing, where figures gather around the child in a domestic setting, underscoring the theme of a divinely guided childhood.

Above the narrative band, each light is crowned with an elaborate Gothic canopy, richly executed in the Rouen style with pinnacles, tracery, and touches of Renaissance detailing. Together, these scenes form a cohesive visual account of the origins of the Virgin Mary, illustrating themes of faith, divine promise, and familial devotion that were central to late-medieval devotion in Normandy.