8 September: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Birthday of the Mother of Jesus

The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church are united in their celebration of the Nativity of Mary. This feast was born in the East and was introduced to Rome by Sergius 1, in the seventh century. On that day, a procession would leave from the Church of Sant’Andrea al Foro, and head to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. According to the liturgical Calendar, the Feast Day was celebrated on 8 September. In the East, the Nativity of Mary had been celebrated since the 4th century and was linked to the construction of the Basilica of Saint Anne in Jerusalem, which was built on the site of Anne and Joachim’s house, where Mary was believed to be born. From Jerusalem the recollection of the nativity of Mary spread to Constantinople, where the Eastern Church linked it to the Conception. It should be noted that the Church celebrates the birth on earth and in heaven only of Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist.

There is not much information on Mary’s childhood. The little we know was recounted by the evangelists Luke and Matthew. Some traditions believe Mary was born in Galilee, while others believe Jerusalem was more likely.

With regards to the date of the birth of the Virgin Mary, we have some news in the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal text from the 2nd century which includes details of the life of Mary. In particular, it mentions the suffering of Joachim and Anne, who could not have children, until thanks to the intervention of the Lord and the subsequent birth of Mary, the situation changed. The text says that Joachim was very observant. He distanced himself from the Temple when he was banned from making sacrifices to God because he was sterile. He thus joined some shepherds in the desert and lifted continuous prayers to the Lord. Anne, who had been left behind by her husband, also prayed incessantly. Their prayers were granted. An angel appeared to them announcing the birth of a girl, whose name would be Mary. She would live near the Temple and was destined to give birth to the Son of God. Anne and Joachim reunited, and Mary was born without the stain of original sin. Her mother taught her the typical duties of the women of the time and introduced her to prayer and to God. She was then taken to the Temple to be taught by the high priests and spent a childhood immersed in prayer.

The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, written in Latin in the eighth and ninth century, also mentions Mary’s parents. More information can be found in the Legenda Aurea (Golden legend) by the Dominican Jacopo da Varazze. written between 1260 and 1298, which reports some accounts of the life of Mary and her parents. Over the course of the centuries, the Feast of the Nativity inspired artists and the faithful. Many churches have been dedicated to Mary’s birth. This tradition was celebrated in Milan as early as the tenth century. Indeed, Saint Charles Borromeo dedicated the Duomo to Saint Mary Nascent.