Mary, Undoer of Knots (Untier of Knots, Maria Knotenlöserin), is a devotion in which we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to untie the “knots” of our lives: sins, broken relationships, worries and problems that seem to have no way out. It comes from a painting in Augsburg, Germany, and became known around the world after Pope Francis, as a young priest, brought it to Argentina. Below is the story of the painting, the ancient teaching behind it, how to pray the nine-day novena, a prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots, and answers to common questions.
The painting in Augsburg
Around the year 1700, the painter Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner painted Maria Knotenlöserin for the church of St. Peter am Perlach in Augsburg. It shows Mary, crowned with stars and standing on the serpent, with the Holy Spirit as a dove above her. An angel hands her a long white ribbon full of knots; she unties them one by one, and another angel receives the smooth ribbon. Below, the Archangel Raphael guides a small figure on a journey.
According to the story told in Augsburg, the painting was given in thanksgiving by a priest of the Langenmantel family. His grandparents’ marriage had been close to breaking up, and his grandfather went for help to a Jesuit priest, Fr. Jakob Rem, who prayed before an image of Mary, lifted up the couple’s wedding ribbon and asked her to untie all its knots. The couple was reconciled.
“The knot of Eve’s disobedience”
The image of Mary untying knots goes back to one of the earliest Fathers of the Church, St. Irenaeus of Lyons, writing around the year 180:
And thus also it was that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith.
Eve’s “no” to God tied the knot of sin; Mary’s “yes” at the Annunciation began to untie it, because she brought into the world the Savior who frees us from every bond.
Pope Francis and the spread of the devotion
In the 1980s, Fr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis, saw the painting during a stay in Germany and brought prayer cards of it home to Argentina. A copy of the image was later placed in the parish of San José del Talar in Buenos Aires, which became a place of pilgrimage, and from there the devotion spread through Latin America and the world.
How to pray the novena to Mary Undoer of Knots
The novena is prayed for nine days, usually for one particular “knot.” The widely used form combines the Rosary with a meditation and a prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots each day:
- Begin with the Sign of the Cross and an act of contrition, asking forgiveness for your sins.
- Pray the first three decades of the Rosary. See the Rosary prayers.
- Meditate on the day’s theme (below), and name your knot to Mary.
- Pray the last two decades of the Rosary.
- End with the prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots (below).
Themes for the nine days (written for this page):
| Day | Bring to Mary… |
|---|---|
| 1 | The knot you most need untied, and your trust in her motherly care |
| 2 | Knots of sin and habits you cannot break alone |
| 3 | Knots in your marriage or family: misunderstandings, coldness, division |
| 4 | Knots of resentment: people you find hard to forgive |
| 5 | Knots of fear and anxiety about the future |
| 6 | Knots in your work, studies or finances |
| 7 | Knots of illness, in body or mind, yours or a loved one’s |
| 8 | Knots in your faith: doubt, dryness, distance from the sacraments |
| 9 | Thanksgiving, and the surrender of every knot into God’s hands |
A prayer to Mary Undoer of Knots
Written for this page:
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Undoer of Knots,
your “yes” to God untied the knot of Eve’s disobedience.
You know the knot I bring to you today: (name it).
I cannot untie it by myself.
With your gentle hands, untie it for the glory of God,
and untie in me every knot of sin, fear and resentment
that keeps me from your Son.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast day of Mary Undoer of Knots?
There is no feast of Mary Undoer of Knots in the Church’s liturgical calendar. Devotees pray the novena at any time of year. In Buenos Aires, pilgrims gather at San José del Talar on the eighth day of each month.
Is Mary Undoer of Knots an approved Catholic devotion?
Yes. It honors the Blessed Virgin Mary with an ancient image used by St. Irenaeus, and it is practiced in parishes around the world. As with every Marian devotion, the aim is to bring us closer to Jesus.
What does “knots” mean in this devotion?
Anything that ties up our lives and seems impossible to resolve: sins and addictions, family conflicts, financial or work troubles, illness, or problems in our relationship with God.
Can I pray the novena without the Rosary?
Yes. If you cannot pray five decades, pray what you can, with the meditation and the prayer each day.
More Marian prayers
- Memorare
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
- Catholic prayer for marriage
- Catholic prayer for forgiveness
- Novenas
- Three Hail Marys devotion
Texts and sources
- St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.22.4, Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. I (1885), public domain (Wikisource).
- The day themes and the prayer were written for this page.