ON SAINT ANNA THE WIDOW,
AND HER SON JOHN AMONG THE GREEKS.
From the Great Menaea of these.
CommentaryAnna the mother among the Greeks (S.)
John the son among the Greeks
The Menaea of the Greeks, printed at Venice
in the year MDXCV, which all
their Churches now use,
with some of which with the Republic
of Venice and the Roman Church a connection
still exists; the memory of that Holy Matron
with these words on this XIII propose: Τῆς ὁσίας Μητρὸς ἡμῶν Ἄννης, καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτῆς Ἰωάννου.
Of our holy Mother Anna & of her son John;
where the particle, καὶ, &, persuades us that he with his
mother was laid in a common tomb, deemed worthy of common cult with her
, on account of the eminent and well-known
sanctity of both, although for the name of John is lacking the title
Ἁγίου, Saint. Meanwhile the title, Τῆς ὁσίας Μητρὸς ἡμῶν, Of our Saint Mother, makes it likely, that she was
Cange, in his Constantinopolis Sacra book
4 chap. 7, treats of churches there sacred to S. Anna the Grandmother
of Christ, & then names the houses or monastery
of S. Anna in the Castle of Galata. He himself book 1 chap.
22 treating of the XIII Region of the city, formerly Galata, now
Pera, shows it was called by the Greeks in the plural Τὰ τοῦ Γαλάτου, πόλιν Γαλατίην, &, τοῦ Γαλάτου πολίχνιον or φρούριον,
from the name of the founder, as Cedrenus would have it. Although
it is probable, that monastery also was so called in honor of Anna Mother of the Deipara: nothing
prevents thinking, that the Anna of whom we treat here
wished it to be so called from her, whose name she bore;
& when then she was venerated there as a Saint, doubt remained to posterity which appellation that referred more properly to.
But the son could have served the same place, either as Presbyter,
or as Procurator for business & provisions,
with regard to his mother dwelling there; with whom also he sought and obtained to be buried,
& shone with common miracles with her.
The time remains uncertain; but so,
that it is more probable that both flourished later than sooner.