Sub tuum praesidium

Sub tuum præsidium (Ancient Greek: Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν; lit. 'under your protection') is an ancient Christian hymn and prayer dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Parts of the prayer have been dated to the 3rd or 4th century. The hymn is well attested within the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Historicity

The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy. Rylands Papyrus 470 records the hymn in Greek, and was dated to the 3rd century by papyrologist Edgar Lobel and by scholar Colin Henderson Roberts to the 4th century.[1][2][3][4] By contrast, Hans Förster dates it to the 8th century and states that Roberts quoted Lobel, and that there is no consensus supporting the Lobel date.[5] Although he notes that a number of scholars support Lobel and Roberts, Towarek follows Förster and others in concluding that the earliest textual witness to the hymn is of 6th-7th century provenance and that it became liturgically prevalent in the Middle Ages.[6][7]

Recent scholarship has identified the hymn in the Georgian Iadgari (Chantbook) of Jerusalem, demonstrating that the Sub tuum praesidium was in liturgical use during the 5th century.[8][9] Besides the Greek text, ancient versions can be found in Coptic, Syriac, Armenian and Latin.[10]

The former medieval and post-medieval practice in several dioceses, especially in France, was to use the Sub tuum as the final antiphon at Compline instead of the Salve Regina,[10] and in the Rite of Braga, where it is sung at the end of the Catholic Mass.

Pontifical indulgence

Pope Pius VI in the decree of 5 April 1786 granted the indulgence of one hundred days and, on Sundays, of seven years and the same number of forty years to anyone who with sincere contrition recited in the morning the antiphon Salve Regina and in the evening the Sub tuum praesidium.[11] The Enchiridion Indulgentiarum of 2004 provides for partial indulgence.[12]

Liturgical use

In the Byzantine Rite used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, the hymn is the last apolytikion of Vespers celebrated during Great Lent on Sunday evenings and weekdays.[13] It is also the last apolytikion of Vespers on other Days of Alleluia outside of Great Lent.[14] In Greek practice, it is usually sung in Neo-Byzantine chant.

In the Armenian Rite, the hymn is sung on the Eve of Theophany and is also used as an acclamation (Armenian: մաղթանք) in the daily compline service known as the Rest Hour (Հանգստեան Ժամ). A slightly different version of the hymn is appended to the Trisagion when the latter is chanted in the daily Morning (Առաւօտեան) and Evening (Երեկոյեան) Hours of the Daily Office. The hymn is also used in the Coptic, Byzantine, and Ambrosian liturgies.

In the Roman Rite it is used as the antiphon for the Nunc Dimittis at Compline in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in the Liturgy of the Hours may be used as the Marian antiphon after Compline or Vespers outside of Eastertide.

Since 2018, Pope Francis has asked to pray this hymn along with the Rosary and the Prayer to Saint Michael asking for the unity of the Church during October (2018). In the official communiqué he added that "Russian mystics and the great saints of all the traditions advised, in moments of spiritual turbulence, to shelter beneath the mantle of the Holy Mother of God pronouncing the invocation 'Sub Tuum Praesidium'".[15]

Musical settings

The Latin version has been set to music in the West many times, notably by Marc-Antoine Charpentier,[16] Jan Dismas Zelenka,[17] Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.[18]

Authenticated Recensions

Greek

Greek Text English Translation
Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν,
καταφεύγομεν, Θεοτόκε.
Τὰς ἡμῶν ἱκεσίας,
μὴ παρίδῃς ἐν περιστάσει,
ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ κινδύνων λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς,
μόνη Ἁγνή, μόνη εὐλογημένη.
Beneath thy compassion,
We take refuge, O Theotokos [God-bearer]:
do not despise our petitions in time of trouble:
but rescue us from dangers,
only pure one, only blessed one.

Slavonic

The earliest Church Slavonic manuscripts have the prayer in the following form:

Church Slavonic English Translation
Подъ твою милость,
прибѣгаемъ богородице дѣво,
молитвъ нашихъ не презри в скорбѣхъ.
но ѿ бѣдъ избави насъ,
едина чистаѧ и благословеннаѧ.
Beneath thy mercy,
we take refuge, O Virgin Theotokos:
disdain not our supplications in our distress,
but deliver us from perils,
O only pure and blessed one.

This version continues to be used by the Old Believers today, as well as those churches (Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic alike) which use the Ruthenian Recension.[19]

Alternative Church Slavonic Version English Translation
Подъ твое благотробїе
прибѣгаемъ Богородице,
моленїѧ наша не презри во ωбстоѧнїй,
но ѿ бѣдъ исбави ны,
едина Чистаѧ, и Благословеннаѧ
Beneath thy tenderness of heart
we take refuge, O Theotokos,
disdain not our supplications in our necessity,
but deliver us from perils,
O only pure and blessed one.

This alternative version continues in use today.

Latin

The Latin translation, likely derived from the Greek, dates from the 11th century:

Latin Text English Translation
Sub tuum praesidium
confugimus,
Sancta Dei Genetrix.
Nostras deprecationes ne despicias
in necessitatibus,
sed a periculis cunctis
libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta
We fly to thy protection,
O Holy Mother of God;
Do not despise our petitions
in our necessities,
but deliver us always
from all dangers,
O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.[20]

Some of the Latin versions have also incorporated the following verses often attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux[21] to the above translation:

Domina nostra, Mediatrix nostra, Advocata nostra (Our Lady, our Mediatrix, Our Advocate)

tuo Filio nos reconcilia (Reconcile us to your Son)

tuo Filio nos recommenda (Recommend us to your Son)

tuo Filio nos representa (Represent us to your Son)[22][23]

References

  1. ^ Matthewes-Green, Frederica (2007). The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts. Brewster MA: Paraclete Press. pp. 85–87. ISBN 978-1-55725-536-5.
  2. ^ See the Leuven Database of Ancient Books, P. Ryl. 470. About the date of the papyrus Rylands III 470, see also Hans Förster, «Die älteste marianische Antiphon - eine Fehldatierung? Überlegungen zum "ältesten Beleg" des Sub tuum praesidium», in Journal of Coptic Studies 7 (2005), pp. 99-109.
  3. ^ O'Carroll, Michael (1982). Theotokos. A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wilmington: Michael Glazier Inc. p. 336.
  4. ^ Mercenier, François (1939). L'Antienne mariale grecque la plus ancienne (in French). Le Muséon 52. pp. 229–233.
  5. ^ Hans Förster, «Die älteste marianische Antiphon - eine Fehldatierung? Überlegungen zum "ältesten Beleg" des Sub tuum praesidium», in Journal of Coptic Studies 7 (2005), pp. 99-109.
  6. ^ Towarek, Piotr (2021). "Prayer "Sub Tuum praesidium": Time of Origin, Place in Liturgy and Reception in Musical Culture. Outline of the Issues". Vox Patrum. 80: 239–268. doi:10.31743/vp.12929. S2CID 245321013.
  7. ^ de Bruyn, Theodore (2015), Peltomaa, Leena Mari; KuLzer, Andreas; Allen, Pauline (eds.), "Appeals to the Intercessions of Mary in Greek Liturgical and Paraliturgical Texts from Egypt", Presbeia Theothokou, The Intercessory Role of Mary across Times and Places in Byzantium (4th-9th Century) (1 ed.), Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, pp. 115–130, ISBN 978-3-7001-7602-2, JSTOR j.ctv8pzdqp.10, retrieved 2025-09-21{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  8. ^ The first Christian hymnal : the songs of the ancient Jerusalem church. Stephen J. Shoemaker. Provo, Utah. 2018. pp. xxviii. ISBN 978-1-944394-68-4. OCLC 1047578356.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ Frøyshov, Stig Simeon (23 October 2013). "[Hymnography of the] Rite of Jerusalem". Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.
  10. ^ a b "The Sub Tuum Praesidium". Newliturgicalmovement.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  11. ^ Cancani Amadeo (1826). Brief instruction on ecclesiastical indulgences in general and on the jubilee (in Italian). in the Andreola typography editr. p. 65.
  12. ^ Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, Concessiones, n°. 17 $2, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 4th edition, 2004, p. 63. ISBN 88-209-2785-3.
  13. ^ The Lenten Triodion. The Service Books of the Orthodox Church. Translated by Mother Mary; Ware, Kallistos. South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press. 2002. pp. 90–92.
  14. ^ Service-Book for Clergy: Vespers. Pittsburgh, PA: Metropolitan Cantor Institute. 2019. p. 81.
  15. ^ "Pope Francis invites the faithful to pray the Rosary in October". Vaticannews.va. 2018-09-29. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  16. ^ Charpentier, Marc-Antoine (2017) [ca. 1687]. "Sub tuum praesidium, H.352". Imslp.org. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  17. ^ Zelenka, Jan Dismas (2015) [ca. 1725-34]. "10 Sub tuum praesidium, ZWV 157". Imslp.org.
  18. ^ "Green, Michael. "The History of the Sub Tuum"" (PDF). Static.squarespace.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  19. ^ "Pod tvoju milost'".
  20. ^ ""Sub tuum Praesidium", KofC" (PDF). Kofc.org. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  21. ^ Schneider, Josephus (1900). Manuale Sacerdotum (in Latin). J. P. Bachem.
  22. ^ Crowther, Arthur Anselm (1663). Jesus, Maria, Joseph: Or, The Devout Pilgrim of the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary. In His Holy Exercises Upon the Sacred Mysteries of Jesus, Maria, Joseph. p. 187.
  23. ^ Gebet- und Gesang-Buch für die Schüler des Znaimer Gymnasiums (in German). Lenck. 1865. p. 116.
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