Were the Virgin Mary’s parents St. Anna and St. Joachim? Did St. Anna have two sisters: Sophia, the mother of Elizabeth and grandmother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Salome?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

According to the sacred tradition of the Church and the historical records of the fathers, your description of the family of the Mother of God is correct.

According to the tradition preserved by the Church, there were three sisters, the daughters of a priest named Matthan (from the tribe of Levi, of the family of Aaron) and his wife Mary.

The three sisters were:

1. Mary: She was the eldest, and she gave birth to Salome (who was the midwife present at the birth of Christ and later the mother of the Apostles James and John, the sons of Zebedee).
2. Sophia: She was the middle sister, and she gave birth to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist.
3. Anna: She was the youngest. As noted in the writings of the fathers, like St. John of Damascus, Anna remained barren for a long time. Through fervent prayer and a vow to God, she and her husband Joachim were granted a child in their old age. This child was the Virgin Mary, the Lady of all created things and the Mother of the Creator.

This lineage explains the earthly relationship between our Lord Jesus Christ and St. John the Baptist, showing they were second cousins through their mothers, Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary.

It is a beautiful fulfillment of Grace (the meaning of the name Anna) bringing forth the Lady (the meaning of the name Mary), as the Virgin was nourished by the Spirit in the Temple and became the "fruitful olive tree" and the abode of every virtue, keeping her soul and body virginal to conceive God within herself.