MIRACULOUS MIRACLES™

Prayer — Marian Prayers

Sub Tuum Praesidium

Beneath Thy Protection

c. 250 AD, Egypt (John Rylands Papyrus 470)

The oldest known Marian prayer — found on a third-century Egyptian papyrus, and still prayed in nearly every rite of the Christian Church.

The Prayer · Multiple Versions
Greek (original) · Original
Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν
καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε.
Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας
μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει,
ἀλλ' ἐκ κινδύνων λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς,
μόνη ἁγνή, μόνη εὐλογημένη.
Latin
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.
English
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.
Spanish
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!
Italian
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.
Portuguese
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.
French
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.
German
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.
When the Prayer is Said

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.

History & Background

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.

All Prayers