Saint Joachim the Ancestor of God (Fiorenzo) Icon - S641

This fine icon of the holy Ancestor of God Saint Joachim is by the hand of American iconographer Mark Fiorenzo. It depicts the father of the Virgin Mary and grandfather of Jesus Christ with his hand raised in a gesture of prayer. This icon can be paired with a matching icon of his wife, Saint Anna.

Saint Joachim and his wife Anna were childless. For this, they were derided by their fellow Jews, who believed they must have been cursed. Once, when offering a sacrifice at the temple, Joachim was refused by the priest. Remembering Abraham and Sarah, they prayed to the Lord and vowed to dedicate their child to the service of God. They conceived a daughter, whom they named Mariam, or in English, Mary.

In fulfillment of the promise, they dedicated Mary to service in the Temple when she was three years old (November 21). Joachim and Anna visited their daughter often during the next seven years. About the year 8 B.C., when Mary was about 10 years old, Joachim reposed at the age of 80. He was buried in the Garden of Gethsemane, in a family tomb purchased by his wife Anna.

Saints Joachim and Anna are called "the ancestors of God," because they were the grandparents of Christ, Who is the incarnate God. They are honored as a model for husbands and wives, and they often intercede for childless couples. So important are these saints as models and intercessors, as well as in the plan of salvation, they are always invoked at the Great Dismissal in Eastern Orthodox worship services. These righteous spouses are commemorated together on September 9, the day after the Nativity of the Theotokos.