It is rare to see beautiful artistic depictions of marriage, much less in a church, but in the Scrovegni Chapel, you find just that. There’s not a more touching picture of marital joy in the history of Western painting than in Giotto’s cinematic telling of Joachim and Anne’s happy reunion. In the famous culminating scene which takes place at the Golden Gate, Giotto captures the tender intimacy of a loving kiss without losing the solemn dignity of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary.
The profound simplicity and lyrical elegance of Giotto’s storytelling leave him unrivaled among artists. His impact on the history of Western art cannot be overstated. Nevertheless, his frescoes deserve to be savored as a sumptuous feast, not just appreciated as a bridge to naturalism. It’s worth looking at the 360 view of the chapel here.
Enrico Scrovegni, an Italian moneylender, commissioned Giotto to paint this Paduan chapel to expiate for the sins of his father Reginaldo, who was guilty of usury.1 Remarkably, Giotto frescoed2 the chapel in only two years. Though the chapel is not as big as a Gothic cathedral, it’s still an incredible feat; Giotto painted every wall and the ceiling of the building with scenes from the life of Christ and the life of Mary. These scenes culminate in a fresco of the Annunciation at the front of the chapel and a scene of the Last Judgement on the back wall. Among the frescoes, there is a remarkable unity of purpose and harmony of theme and style.
The famous Joachim fresco cycle— inspired by the Protoevangelium of James and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary—is featured in the top band of the South wall. Although the story bookends quite nicely on its own, it also points towards other scenes in the chapel and, most importantly, to Mary’s Annunciation— featured on the front arch.
Giotto begins the story at the temple, where a priest rejects Joachim’s offering because of his childlessness. “Thou are not worthy to enter into the temple, for you have not conceived a child for Israel” (Protoevagelium 1). In this fresco, a priest shoves Joachim from the edge of a raft-like temple, cutting him off from the community and leaving him in a symbolic blue abyss. This void of space heightens Joachim’s feelings of shame and sadness.
To intensify our sense of Joachim’s humiliation, Giotto paints a younger man who receives a blessing as he is expelled. Giotto is fond of depicting these juxtapositions of fortune and often does so throughout the chapel’s frescos.
In this fresco, the sharpness of the temple mimics the intensity of Joachim’s feelings. This is emblematic of the way Giotto uses bodies, faces, buildings, animals and even landscapes to express emotions.
In the next scene, Joachim is so upset by his expulsion that instead of returning home to his wife, Anne, he flees to the desert for forty days. His sadness continues in this panel as he looks down dejectedly, ignoring the friendly dog that greets him. The space between Joachim and the other characters here emphasizes how Joachim feels cut off from the human community. Even the shepherds seem to give each other a side eye about Joachim’s sorrowful mood.
Next, Giotto cuts to Joachim’s wife, Anne. Distraught over her husband’s departure, Anne perseveres in prayer and kneels before God, where she is greeted by an angel who almost comically squeezes through a small window. The angel tells her, “Do not be afraid, for a daughter will be born unto you. She will be your descendant and will be blessed for all generations. Arise, therefore, and go up to the Golden Gate. As a sign of what I have said, you will meet your husband of whom you have been so concerned” (Gospel of the Nativity of Mary 4).
In a break from the narrative, Giotto paints a servant spinning wool outside Mary’s room. This servant's presence adds an element of human drama—she seems to be eavesdropping on Mary, but she also symbolizes the weaving of the threads of providence or fortune. With this detail, Giotto reminds us that this Annunciation to Anne points to the more important Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to her daughter Mary.
Mirroring his wife’s piety, Joachim prostrates himself in humility before God and offers his sacrifice. God's hand reaches from heaven to bless Joachim and show approval. To emphasize this approval, Giotto paints an angel clad in glowing white drapery who also confers a blessing.
In the next scene, Joachim sleeps huddled in front of the black entrance of his hut. The darkness behind his glowing figure points to the blackness of his mood, indicating he hasn't quite gotten over the incident at the temple. However, an angel comes down from the corner of the scene, anticipating the hope of Joachim’s happy reunion with his wife. In the dream, the angel tells Joachim to meet his wife at the Golden Gate. This image calls to mind the dreams of the Biblical Josephs3, and puts Joachim in their holy mold.
Finally, Joachim and Anne reunite with a kiss, surrounded by fanfare and a procession of brightly clad women. At the bridge, Anne tells her husband the happy news of her pregnancy. The two faces come together and seem to make a third face, which symbolizes Mary's Immaculate Conception. Though their faces remain distinct, their halos merge, indicating that through their marriage, “the two become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5). They share the joint mission of holiness.
Four women behind Anne seem giddy with excitement, intensifying the joy of this happy reunion. The woman directly behind her holds a white garment, signifying the purity of Anne’s daughter, Mary. The color of the other women's robes, red, green, and yellow, stands for the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, depicted allegorically on the wall below.
Amidst this happy scene, one figure cloaked in black ominously looks out at us. It’s hard to say precisely why she’s there. Perhaps she points to the Passion of Christ or the sorrows that will pierce Mary’s heart.
It's helpful to look at the architectural elements of the fresco too. The gold-lined clothing worn by Joachim and Anne forms an arch between them, mimicking the arch of the Golden Gate. Their arched bodies shelter Anne’s womb, reminding us that a loving marriage is the most firm shelter for children.
The arch also points us forward to the arch of the Annunciation at the front of the chapel, reminding us to look at this story with Christ in mind. Just as Mary is the “Gate of Heaven,” the reunion at this gate opens the story to the story of Christ’s birth.
This Gate appears a second time in the chapel in Giotto’s Palm Sunday scene. As Christ enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on a donkey as King, Joachim and Anne re-enter the city as King and Queen of the little kingdom entrusted to them in marriage. Both husband and wife wear bright garments laced with gold, which seem fine enough for a wedding. This calls to mind the Orthodox wedding ritual where the bride and groom are crowned.
In the foreground, jagged rocks creep up the bottom of the fortress reminding us of the wilderness from which Joachim returns. By returning to his marriage, Joachim re-enters the civilized world. His fortunes have been reversed by the hand of God. Although he was rejected from the Jewish Temple, he now prepares to welcome his daughter, who will be the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church.
Finally, the bridge symbolizes Joachim and Anne’s journey from humiliation to joy and reminds us that their story acts as a bridge or prelude to the main story—the story of Jesus Christ.
You can find Reginaldo in Dante’s Inferno with the usurers. Giotto himself is also featured in the Purgatorio.
From the Tate website: “Fresco is a mural painting technique that involves painting with water-based paint directly onto wet plaster so that the paint becomes an integral part of the plaster.
Two coats of plaster are applied to a wall and allowed to dry. On the second the design is drawn in outline. To make the painting, an area of the wall corresponding to a day’s work is freshly plastered and the design retraced joining up with the uncovered parts. This area is then painted on while still wet, using water-based paint. The paint is absorbed into the wet plaster thus making it a durable mural technique. Some touching up can be done when the plaster is dry but a whole fresco painted on dry plaster is liable to flake off.”
Joseph son of Jacob and Joseph husband of Mary, both of whom are remembered for their dreams.
Wonderful, thank you!
Grace and Peace to you sister. This was a wonderful retelling of synergia between the human faith of these two grandparents and the Divine Providence of God the Father, Thank you. ☦️ Blessed Feast of the Dormition of Saint Anna, Most Holy Theotokos save us!
⚜️ Saints Joachim and Anna, pray for us. O'Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on us, keep our marriages and families under the protection of your Holy Love and 🔥Courageous Truth in these interesting times. May the Holy Spirit find a 🌴 resting place in our repentant hearts, 7/25/2024 Anno Domini. ❤️🕊️🌐🕯️📿⛪🔔⛲