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Prayers › Marian Prayers › Hail Mary

Hail Mary

Ave Maria
Marian 📜 Earliest form: 5th–6th century (first half); 16th century (full form) 🕯️ Used liturgically
Latina

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum.✦ Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.✦

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"And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women."— Luke 1:28 (Douay-Rheims)
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"Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."— Luke 1:42 (Douay-Rheims)
AH-veh Mah-REE-ah, GRAH-tsee-ah PLEH-nah, DOH-mee-noos TEH-koom. Beh-neh-DEEK-tah too in moo-lee-EH-ree-boos, et beh-neh-DEEK-toos FROOK-toos VEN-trees TOO-ee, YEH-zoos.

Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

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"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"— Luke 1:43 (Douay-Rheims)
SAHNK-tah Mah-REE-ah, MAH-ter DEH-ee, OH-rah pro NOH-bees pek-ah-TOH-ree-boos, noonk et in HO-rah MOR-tees NOS-treh. AH-men
Vernacular

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Prayer History

Listen to Prayer History

The Hail Mary is among the most ancient and beloved prayers in the Catholic tradition, yet its familiar form developed in stages over more than a millennium. The first half — "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" — is drawn directly from the words of the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28). The second phrase — "Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" — comes from the greeting of St. Elizabeth at the Visitation (Luke 1:42).

These two scriptural salutations were joined together as a single prayer as early as the fifth or sixth century. Evidence from the liturgies of both East and West shows that "Ave Maria" was used as an antiphon — a short prayer chanted during the Divine Office — long before it became a private devotion. The Eastern Church's equivalent, the Theotokion, preserves a similar structure.

The second half of the prayer — "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death" — was a later addition, taking shape gradually during the medieval period. The invocation "Holy Mary, Mother of God" reflects the dogmatic definition of the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), which solemnly affirmed Mary's title Theotokos (God-bearer). The full form of the prayer as we know it today was standardized in the Roman Breviary of 1568 under Pope St. Pius V.

📋 Quick Facts

Type Marian Prayer
Source Luke 1:28, Luke 1:42
Earliest Use 5th–6th century (first half)
Full Form Established 16th century
Liturgical Use Rosary, Angelus, Divine Office
Also Known As Ave Maria, Angelic Salutation
Defined Dogma Theotokos (Council of Ephesus, 431 AD)
Rosary Count 53 per full Rosary

💡 Did You Know?

✦ The Hail Mary is prayed approximately 1.5 billion times per day worldwide when Rosary devotions are counted.
✦ The words "Hail, full of grace" are the Archangel Gabriel's greeting to Mary — making this the only prayer in Catholic tradition that begins with the words of an angel.
✦ The name "Jesus" was not originally part of the prayer — it was added by Pope Urban IV around 1261 to clarify the "fruit of thy womb."
✦ In the Eastern Churches, the Hail Mary exists in a slightly different form: "Theotokos Virgin, rejoice, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee..."
✦ Before the Rosary existed, medieval Christians would pray 150 Hail Marys as a "Psalter of Our Lady" — a devotional mirror of the 150 Psalms.
✦ The "Hail Mary" bell — rung three times daily for the Angelus — once governed the rhythm of daily life across all of Christendom.
✦ St. Bernadette reported that Our Lady at Lourdes would pray the first half of the Hail Mary along with her, but fell silent during the second half — she does not pray to herself.

Related Resources

Prayer The Memorare A beloved Marian prayer of confidence attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Prayer The Angelus The thrice-daily prayer commemorating the Incarnation, built around three Hail Marys. Prayer The Holy Rosary The great Marian devotion — 150 Hail Marys meditating on the mysteries of Christ's life. Article Do Catholics Worship Mary? Latria, dulia, and hyperdulia explained — why honoring Mary glorifies Christ. Prayer Hail, Holy Queen The Salve Regina — the great Marian antiphon prayed at the close of the Rosary. Article The Immaculate Conception Explained What the dogma means, its scriptural basis, and why it matters.
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Hail Mary
Ave Maria

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Hail Mary
Ave Maria

Ave María, grátia plena, Dóminus tecum.✦ Benedícta tu in muliéribus, et benedíctus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.✦

Sancta María, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatóribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen.

✠ Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam ✠