The Ave Verum Corpus (“Hail, true Body”) is a short medieval hymn greeting Jesus truly present in the Eucharist, the same Body born of the Virgin Mary and offered on the Cross. It was traditionally sung at the elevation of the Host during Mass, and it became world-famous through Mozart’s setting of 1791. Below is the Latin text with an English translation, its meaning line by line, its history, and when it is sung.
The Ave Verum Corpus in Latin
Ave verum corpus natum de Maria virgine
Vere passum immolatum in cruce pro homine
Cujus latus perforatum fluxit aqua et sanguine
Esto nobis prægustatum mortis in examine
O Iesu dulcis! O Iesu pie! O Iesu fili Mariæ
English translation
Our line-by-line translation:
Hail, true Body, born of the Virgin Mary,
who truly suffered and was sacrificed on the Cross for mankind,
whose pierced side flowed with water and blood:
be for us a foretaste in the trial of death.
O sweet Jesus! O loving Jesus! O Jesus, Son of Mary!
The meaning, line by line
- “Hail, true Body, born of the Virgin Mary”: the Host is not a symbol only; it is the very Body that Jesus took from Mary.
- “Truly suffered and sacrificed on the Cross”: the Eucharist makes present the one sacrifice of Calvary.
- “Whose pierced side flowed with water and blood”: from Christ’s side, opened by the lance, flowed water and blood (John 19:34), signs of Baptism and the Eucharist.
- “Be for us a foretaste in the trial of death”: the Eucharist is our viaticum, food for the last journey, and a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.
- “O sweet Jesus…”: the hymn ends with a cry of love to Jesus, Son of Mary.
History
The hymn dates from the fourteenth century and is sometimes attributed to Pope Innocent VI. In the Middle Ages it was sung at the elevation of the Host during Mass, the moment when the people looked upon and adored the Body of Christ. It remains a favorite at Benediction, adoration, Corpus Christi and Communion.
The Ave Verum in music
The best-known setting is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Ave verum corpus (K. 618), a short motet written in June 1791, a few months before his death, for the feast of Corpus Christi at Baden near Vienna. Other famous settings include those of William Byrd (1605), Camille Saint-Saëns, Edward Elgar and Francis Poulenc, besides the simple Gregorian chant.
When is it sung?
- At Communion or during adoration.
- At Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. See Benediction.
- On Corpus Christi and on Holy Thursday.
- At funerals, because of its prayer for strength in the hour of death.
Frequently asked questions
What does Ave Verum Corpus mean?
“Hail, true Body,” the first words of the hymn, addressed to Christ present in the Eucharist.
Who wrote the Ave Verum Corpus?
The text is a fourteenth-century hymn, sometimes attributed to Pope Innocent VI. Mozart wrote the most famous music for it in 1791.
Is the Ave Verum a prayer?
Yes. It is a hymn, but every line is addressed to Jesus, and many people pray it silently after Communion.
More Eucharistic hymns and prayers
- Catholic hymns: lyrics and meaning
- Panis Angelicus
- Adoro Te Devote
- Pange Lingua
- Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris
- Anima Christi
- Prayer before Communion
- Catholic prayers in Latin
Texts and sources
- Latin: Latin Wikisource, “Ave Verum Corpus,” public domain.
- The English translation is our own.
- Scripture: John 19:34.