The miraculous icon of Saint Anna is placed in the Kyriakon church of the Skete of Saint Anna on Mount Athos. Her grace covers and protects the monks who pay homage to her and the faithful who come to her asking for her blessing.
Saint Anna is especially honored for the help she offers to childless couples. Besides, the dedications that adorn the icon highlight her miraculous power. People who turn to Saint Anna show deep faith, placing all their hopes in her. By following the monks’ instructions for prayer and showing trust in the Saint, many couples managed to have children and raise their families. In fact, as people usually do, the boys that are born are named after Joachim, while the girls are baptized with the name of the Saint.
As far as the Skete of Saint Anna is concerned, it is the largest skete on Mount Athos. The first inhabitant was Saint Gerontios. In the 17th century, Patriarch Dionysios III Vardalis built the first Kyriakon of the monastery, dedicating it to the Saint. Later, by his own efforts, her relics came to the monastery.
As for the iconographic type, this representation is not particularly popular during the Byzantine period. Saint Anna is depicted in old age, which can be seen from the slight wrinkles on her face. Her gaze is turned towards the faithful, while on her left side she holds the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary appears as a young girl and not as an infant. In her right hand she holds the marble of her Mother, while in her left hand she carries a flower symbolizing her status as the Mother of God.
To the right and to the left of the Saint, there are depicted the Prophets David and Isaiah, holding open scrolls with the inscriptions "From the fruit of my womb give me the Virgin Mary" and "Here the Virgin Mary comes from the womb". Above the Prophets there is also the inscription 'The Holy and Miraculous Theopromitor Anna'. The lower part of the icon is adorned with elaborate frames within which there are depicted some of the holy monks of Mount Athos and a number of women with infants entrusted to the care of the Saint. Finally, the date 1841 is inscribed on the bottom of the icon.
During the 19th century, many more engravings were created depicting the infant-bearing Saint Anna. In fact, in many of them, the homonymous skete of Mount Athos is also represented together with the Saint.
