Vespers hymn of Our Lady, 9th century

Ave Maris Stella — Hail, Star of the Sea

The oldest Vespers hymn of Our Lady

LatinEnglish

Ave, maris stella,
Dei Mater alma,
atque semper Virgo,
felix caeli porta.

Hail, O Star of the ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav’nly rest.

Sumens illud Ave
Gabrielis ore,
funda nos in pace,
mutans Hevae nomen.

Taking that sweet Ave
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eva’s name.

Solve vincla reis,
profer lumen caecis,
mala nostra pelle,
bona cuncta posce.

Break the sinners’ fetters,
make our blindness day,
chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.

Monstra te esse matrem,
sumat per te preces
qui pro nobis natus
tulit esse tuus.

Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine,
born for us thine Infant,
hear our prayers through thine.

Virgo singularis,
inter omnes mitis,
nos culpis solutos
mites fac et castos.

Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us,
meek and undefiled.

Vitam praesta puram,
iter para tutum,
ut videntes Iesum
semper collaetemur.

Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure,
till we find in Jesus
joy for evermore.

Sit laus Deo Patri,
summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto,
tribus honor unus. Amen.

Praise to God the Father,
honour to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one. Amen.

SourceVespers hymn of Our Lady, 9th century · The oldest Vespers hymn of Our Lady

The history of this prayer

The Ave Maris Stella is one of the oldest Marian hymns of the West. It already appears, as a tenth-century addition, in ninth-century manuscripts — one of them still kept at the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland. Its author is unknown: tradition has credited Venantius Fortunatus, Hermann of Reichenau and Saint Bernard, but no attribution is certain.

It is the Vespers hymn on feasts of Our Lady and also belongs to the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In seven short stanzas, the Angel’s greeting (“Ave”) reverses the name of Eve (“Eva”), and Mary is called the star of the sea — the star a sailor looks for so as not to lose his way.

To pray it in Church Latin: “ae” sounds like the “e” in “bed” (caeli = “CHAY-lee”), “c” before “e” or “i” sounds like “ch”, and the “h” is silent (Hevae = “AY-vay”).

In the Middle Ages it was one of the best-known hymns in Europe, and many composers set it — from Dufay and Palestrina to Monteverdi in his Vespers of 1610.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Ave Maris Stella?

No one knows. The hymn already existed in the ninth century; attributions to Venantius Fortunatus, Hermann of Reichenau or Saint Bernard are traditions without proof.

When is the Ave Maris Stella prayed?

It is the Vespers hymn on feasts of Our Lady and part of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it can be prayed on any day.

What does “mutans Hevae nomen” mean?

“Changing Eve’s name”: the greeting “Ave” is “Eva” spelled backwards — Mary undoes what Eve did.

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