Joachim, St

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Joachim, St in Christian tradition, the husband of St Anne and father of the Virgin Mary. He is first mentioned in an apocryphal work of the 2nd century, and then rarely referred to until much later times; scenes such as the marriage of Joachim and Anne are shown in medieval art.

In the Eastern Church the feast of St Joachim and St Anne is on 9 September; in the Western Church the feast of St Joachim was on 16 August, but is now (with St Anne) on 26 July.

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