Chiesa di Sant’Anna in Sorrento
In Sorrento’s seaside Marina Grande, the Chiesa di Sant’Anna stands tall and beautiful. Situated in the midst of restaurants, kayaks, and fisherman, this church faces toward the waves, as if to hear the song of the ocean.
Sant’Anna (Saint Anna)
The Chiesa di Sant’Anna is named for Sant’Anna (Saint Anna), the patron saint of Sorrento. Sant’Anna is known as the mother of the Virgin Mary, and therefore the maternal grandmother of Jesus.
Sant’Anna struggled to have a child with her husband, Joachim. She prayed to God to deliver her a baby, and an angel appeared to her and her husband to promise them a daughter.
It has been said it was the faith, devotion, and will of Sant’Anna that allowed Mary to stand near the Cross when her Son was crucified.
The Sant’Anna Festival
On July 26th, the festivities for the Sant’Anna festival start. This is a feast dedicated to Sant’Anna and Joachim, one that takes the Marina Grande by storm.
The Sunday after Feast day, the statue of Sant’Anna is carried around Sorrento in a humungous procession.
Swells of music and sweets course down the shore until August 1st, when the finale 11:30 PM fireworks burst into the air. This year, there were co-ordinated drones as well as fireworks that told the story of Sant’Anna.
Celebrations last late and blissful, with tradition and modernity balanced in honor of Sant’Anna
The Sea near Chiesa di Sant'Anna
There is a reason that Chiesa di Sant’Anna faces the sea.
In the 14th century, fishermen of Confraternita di San Giovanni in Fontibus funded the construction of Chiesa di Sant’Anna. There is a profound link between the church and local fishermen.
Chiesa di Sant’Anna’s church bells are rung for more than mass, but also to call fishermen back to shore.
A depiction of Jesus assisting sailors with their daily haul of fish is painted onto the ceiling of the Church.
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