“Ave Maria” is the Latin form of the Hail Mary, the best-loved prayer to the Mother of God, and the title of two of the most famous pieces of music ever written: Franz Schubert’s Ave Maria and the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria. Both are sung at Catholic weddings, funerals and Christmas concerts, usually to the Latin words of the prayer. Below are the Latin lyrics with the English translation, the surprising story of Schubert’s song and the poem by Walter Scott behind it, the Bach-Gounod version, and what the words mean.
Ave Maria lyrics in Latin
These are the words sung to Schubert’s and Gounod’s melodies:
Ave, Maria, grátia plena,
Dóminus tecum.
Benedícta tu in muliéribus,
et benedíctus fructus ventris tui,
Iesus.
Sancta María, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatóribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostræ.
Amen.
English translation
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
See the full Hail Mary prayer page for its history and meaning.
Schubert’s Ave Maria and Walter Scott’s poem
Franz Schubert wrote his famous melody in 1825 as a song called Ellens dritter Gesang (“Ellen’s Third Song”). It set a German translation of a hymn from The Lady of the Lake, a long poem by the Scottish writer Walter Scott (1810). In the poem, young Ellen Douglas, hiding with her father in a mountain cave, sings a prayer to the Virgin Mary. Because her song begins with the words “Ave Maria,” the Latin prayer was later fitted to Schubert’s melody, and that is the version most people know today.
Here is Scott’s original English text:
Ave Maria! maiden mild!
Listen to a maiden’s prayer;
Thou canst hear though from the wild,
Thou canst save amid despair.
Safe may we sleep beneath thy care,
Though banished, outcast, and reviled—
Maiden! hear a maiden’s prayer;
Mother, hear a suppliant child!
Ave Maria!
Ave Maria! undefiled!
The flinty couch we now must share,
Shall seem with down of eider piled,
If thy protection hover there.
The murky cavern’s heavy air
Shall breathe of balm if thou hast smiled;
Then, Maiden! hear a maiden’s prayer,
Mother, list a suppliant child!
Ave Maria!
Ave Maria! Stainless styled!
Foul dæmons of the earth and air,
From this their wonted haunt exiled,
Shall flee before thy presence fair.
We bow us to our lot of care,
Beneath thy guidance reconciled;
Hear for a maid a maiden’s prayer,
And for a father hear a child!
Ave Maria!
The Bach-Gounod Ave Maria
The other famous Ave Maria was composed by the French composer Charles Gounod. In 1853 he improvised a soaring melody over the first prelude of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (1722), and in 1859 he set it to the Latin words of the Hail Mary. Bach wrote the accompaniment; Gounod added the tune.
What the words mean
- “Ave Maria, gratia plena”: the greeting of the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28). See the Annunciation.
- “Benedicta tu in mulieribus”: the words of Elizabeth at the Visitation (Luke 1:42).
- “Sancta Maria, Mater Dei”: the Church’s own prayer, asking the Mother of God to pray for us “now and at the hour of our death.”
The Catechism explains that in the Ave Maria “it is God himself who, through his angel as intermediary, greets Mary” (CCC 2676), and that because she gives us Jesus, “we can entrust all our cares and petitions to her” (CCC 2677). See also do Catholics pray to Mary?
Ave Maria at weddings and funerals
The Latin Ave Maria is a favorite at Catholic weddings, often sung while the bride brings flowers to an image of Mary, and at funerals. Because it is the text of the Hail Mary, it is a true prayer, not only a song. Ask your parish musician about the customs of your church. See the Catholic wedding guide and Catholic funeral hymns.
Frequently asked questions
What does Ave Maria mean?
“Hail Mary.” Ave is a Latin greeting, the word the angel Gabriel used to greet Mary.
Who wrote Ave Maria?
The words are the Hail Mary prayer. The two most famous melodies are by Franz Schubert (1825) and by Charles Gounod over a prelude by J. S. Bach (1853–1859).
Was Schubert’s Ave Maria written for the prayer?
No. Schubert set a German translation of Walter Scott’s “Hymn to the Virgin” from The Lady of the Lake. The Latin prayer was fitted to his melody later.
Can Ave Maria be sung at a Catholic wedding?
Yes, in many parishes the Latin Ave Maria is a traditional choice. Check with your parish.
More Marian prayers and hymns
Texts and sources
- Latin text: Latin Wikisource, “Ave Maria.” English: traditional Hail Mary.
- Walter Scott, The Lady of the Lake (1810), Canto III, “Hymn to the Virgin,” public domain (Wikisource).
- Scripture: Luke 1:28, 42. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2676–2677 (vatican.va).