Attributed to Hermann of Reichenau, 11th century

Salve Regina — Hail, Holy Queen

The Church's evening antiphon to Our Lady

LatinEnglish

Salve, Regína, Mater misericórdiæ, vita, dulcédo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamámus, éxsules fílii Hevæ. Ad te suspirámus, geméntes et flentes in hac lacrimárum valle. Eia ergo, advocáta nostra, illos tuos misericórdes óculos ad nos convérte. Et Iesum, benedíctum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsílium osténde. O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo María.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Amen.

SourceAttributed to Hermann of Reichenau, 11th century · The Church's evening antiphon to Our Lady

The history of this prayer

The Salve Regina is attributed to Hermann of Reichenau (1013–1054), a German monk called “the Lame” because he was paralysed from childhood; others attribute it to Adhemar, bishop of Le Puy. A pious tradition says that St Bernard, in Speyer Cathedral, added the final invocations: “O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.”

Cistercians and Dominicans sang it every night, and from them it entered the Divine Office as the closing antiphon of the day. It is also the prayer that ends the Rosary. For decades it was said after every Low Mass, among the Leonine prayers.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote the Hail, Holy Queen?

It is attributed to Hermann of Reichenau, an eleventh-century monk. The authorship is not certain: Adhemar of Le Puy is also named.

When is the Hail, Holy Queen prayed?

At the end of the Rosary, as a night prayer and, in the Divine Office, as the final antiphon at Compline.

What comes after the Hail, Holy Queen in the Rosary?

The versicle “Pray for us, O holy Mother of God — that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ” and, where customary, a closing prayer.

More prayers: Our Lady

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