Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer

Memorial

• 24 May (Roman calendar)
• 27 June (Orthodox calendar)

Profile

First century lay woman. Married to Chusa, steward of King Herod Antipas. Disciple of Jesus, and mentioned in Luke (8:3) as providing for Jesus and the Apostles. Eastern tradition says that she gave the head of John the Baptist an honourable burial. One of the women Luke says (24.10) discovered the empty tomb on the first Easter when she went to anoint the body, and celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of Pascha in the Orthodox Church as the Myrrh-bearers. She is especially venerated by the Jesuits.

Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

Representation

• ointment box
• woman carrying an ointment box
• woman with a cross in her arms and a lamb standing nearby
• woman carrying a pitcher in a basket
• woman standing with her husband among court ladies hearing Jesus preach

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Ecole Initiative, by Karen Rae Keck
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
• Roman Martyrology
• uCatholic

MLA Citation

• “Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer“. Saints.SQPN.com. 3 June 2013. Web. 18 June 2013. <>