This feast, like that of the
Assumption of Mary, originated in Jerusalem. It began in the fifth century as
the feast of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae
ubi nata est, now called the Basilica of Saint Anne. In the seventh
century, the feast was celebrated by the Byzantines and at Rome as the feast of
the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast is also celebrated by Syrian
Christians on 8 September and by Coptic Christians on May 9th. The feast is
also included in the Tridentine Calendar for 8 September. The scene was
frequently depicted in art, as part of cycles of the Life of the Virgin. Late
medieval depictions are often valuable records of domestic interiors and their
fittings - at this period the setting was often in a wealthy household. Apostolic
tradition places Mary's birthplace either in the Church of Saint Anne in
Jerusalem, or in Tzippori, Israel, where Saint Anne once lived ■