Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε. Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει, ἀλλ' ἐκ κινδύνων λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς, μόνη ἁγνή, μόνη εὐλογημένη.
Beneath Thy Protection
The oldest known Marian prayer — found on a third-century Egyptian papyrus, and still prayed in nearly every rite of the Christian Church.
Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus nostris, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.
Beneath Thy protection we take refuge, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Bajo tu amparo nos acogemos, Santa Madre de Dios; no deseches las súplicas que te dirigimos en nuestras necesidades; antes bien, líbranos siempre de todo peligro, ¡Oh Virgen gloriosa y bendita!
Sotto la tua protezione cerchiamo rifugio, santa Madre di Dio: non disprezzare le suppliche di noi che siamo nella prova, ma liberaci da ogni pericolo, o Vergine gloriosa e benedetta.
À Vossa protecção, recorremos, Santa Mãe de Deus; não desprezeis as nossas súplicas em nossas necessidades; mas livrai-nos de todos os perigos, ó Virgem gloriosa e bendita.
Sous l’abri de ta miséricorde, nous nous réfugions, Sainte Mère de Dieu. Ne méprise pas nos prières quand nous sommes dans l’épreuve, mais de tous les dangers délivre-nous toujours, Vierge glorieuse, Vierge bienheureuse.
Unter deinen Schutz und Schirm fliehen wir, o heilige Gottesgebärerin; verschmähe nicht unser Gebet in unseren Nöten, sondern errette uns jederzeit von allen Gefahren, o du glorreiche und gebenedeite Jungfrau.
Daily by many religious orders; as the closing antiphon at Compline in some seasons; as part of the prayer For the Church in time of trouble.
The papyrus known as Rylands 470, dated by paleography to between 250 and 280 AD, was discovered in Egypt and acquired by the John Rylands Library in Manchester in 1917. It contains, in Koine Greek, the earliest extant Christian prayer addressed to the Mother of God by name — predating the formal title 'Theotokos' (God-bearer) of the Council of Ephesus (431) by more than 150 years.
The prayer is used in nearly every liturgical tradition: in the Roman Rite as the antiphon of Compline in some seasons; in the Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, Maronite, and Ambrosian Rites in various places; and continues to be the principal Marian prayer of many religious communities.
