Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina): Words, Latin and Meaning

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The Hail, Holy Queen, or Salve Regina in Latin, is a traditional closing prayer of the Rosary. It asks the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for us and lead us to Jesus. It is also one of the Marian antiphons used at the end of Night Prayer in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours.

The Hail, Holy Queen prayer

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.

The prayer above uses the traditional English wording printed in F. X. Lasance’s With God (1911), under “Prayers Ordered by Pope Leo XIII”. Punctuation, capitalization and line breaks have been adjusted. Some versions say “to you” instead of “to thee.”

When praying the Rosary, the following verse and response are commonly added. They are separate from the Latin antiphon itself:

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

The closing prayer after the Rosary

At the end of the Rosary, the Hail, Holy Queen is often followed by this traditional prayer. The English text appears in Patrick F. Moran’s The Catholic Prayer Book and Manual of Meditations (1883).

Let us pray. O God, whose only-begotten Son, by his life, death and resurrection,
has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life,
grant, we beseech thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise,
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Salve Regina in Latin

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

What the prayer means

  • “Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy…” Catholics honor Mary as the Mother of Jesus, the King. Her help is a mother’s intercession, dependent on her Son.
  • “…our life, our sweetness and our hope.” These words express trust in Mary’s maternal care. They are understood in relation to Christ, the source of salvation, rather than as a claim that Mary is divine.
  • “…poor banished children of Eve…” We are exiles because of sin, far from the paradise for which we were made.
  • “…in this valley of tears.” The prayer does not pretend life is easy. It brings real sorrow to a mother.
  • “Turn then, most gracious advocate…” Mary pleads for us, as she did at Cana (John 2:3).
  • “…show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” The goal of every Marian prayer: to see Jesus.

The Catechism explains that prayer with Mary always concerns her Son, and that Jesus remains the one mediator (CCC 2674–2675). If the older vocabulary is unfamiliar, clement means merciful, and an advocate is someone who pleads on another’s behalf.

History

The Salve Regina is a medieval Latin antiphon. It is traditionally attributed to Hermann of Reichenau, an eleventh-century Benedictine monk, but its authorship is uncertain. Older accounts also propose other authors. The original Catholic Encyclopedia article, “Salve Regina”, records these competing attributions and questions the later story that St. Bernard added the closing invocations. That story should not be treated as an established event.

When to pray the Hail, Holy Queen

  • At the end of the Rosary. See how to pray the Rosary.
  • At night, as one of the antiphons that can conclude Night Prayer. The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, 92 specifies the Regina Caeli during Eastertide; other approved Marian antiphons can be used outside that season.
  • In times of sorrow, as the prayer itself speaks of “this valley of tears.”
  • On Saturdays, traditionally dedicated to Mary.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Hail, Holy Queen part of the Rosary?

It is commonly prayed after the fifth decade to conclude the Rosary. Closing customs vary between families and communities.

Who wrote the Hail, Holy Queen?

Its authorship is uncertain. Hermann of Reichenau is a traditional attribution, rather than a proven author.

What is the response after the Hail, Holy Queen?

“V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.”

What is the difference between the Salve Regina and the Regina Caeli?

Both are Marian antiphons. The Salve Regina asks for Mary’s merciful intercession during our earthly pilgrimage. The Regina Caeli celebrates Christ’s Resurrection and is used in the Easter season. See the Angelus and Regina Caeli.

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