The cult of St. Anne in medieval and early modern Europe

Emerging in the early centuries of Christianity, St.

Anne - mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus - became an increasingly popular figure in late medieval northern Europe, standing at the centre of an elaborately-constructed extended holy family.

Despite this popularity, and the ideal model of female lay piety she represented, St Anne's absence from scripture made her a problematic figure for Reformers.

Tracing the history of the cult of St. Anne across the medieval and early modern period in German and Dutch-speaking Europe, this book examines her shift from incredibly popular late medieval saint, to target of Protestant criticism, to reconfigured focus of post-Tridentine Catholic devotion.