Sub Tuum Praesidium: The Oldest Prayer to Mary in Latin, Greek and English

The Sub tuum praesidium (“We fly to thy patronage”) is the oldest known prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. A version of it survives on an Egyptian papyrus that some scholars date to the third century, long before the Council of Ephesus (431) solemnly proclaimed Mary Theotokos, “Mother of God.” Christians of East and West have prayed it ever since in times of danger. Below is the prayer in English, Latin and Greek, what it means, the story of the papyrus, and when Catholics pray it today.

The prayer in English

The traditional English translation, from William Gahan’s Complete Manual of Catholic Piety:

The prayer in Latin

The prayer in Greek

The Greek form sung in the Byzantine liturgy:

Literally: “Under your compassion we take refuge, O Mother of God. Do not overlook our petitions in distress, but deliver us from dangers, only pure one, only blessed one.”

What the prayer means

• “We fly to thy patronage” (Latin praesidium, a guard or protection; Greek “compassion”): like children running to their mother, we take refuge under Mary’s protection.
• “O holy Mother of God”: the prayer calls Mary Theotokos, God-bearer, the title at the heart of the Church’s faith that her Son is truly God.
• “Despise not our prayers in our necessities”: we bring her our needs with confidence.
• “Deliver us from all dangers”: of body and above all of soul.
• “O glorious and blessed Virgin”: the prayer ends in praise.

The Catechism echoes it when it says that from ancient times Mary has been honored as Mother of God, “to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs” (CCC 971).

The Rylands papyrus

A small papyrus fragment from Egypt in the John Rylands Library in Manchester, catalogued as Papyrus Rylands 470 and published in 1938, preserves most of this prayer in Greek, including the word Theotokos. The papyrologist Edgar Lobel dated it to the third century; others have proposed the fourth century or later. Even on a later dating, the prayer belongs to the earliest layer of Christian devotion to Mary, and it is still sung in the Coptic, Byzantine, Ambrosian and Roman liturgies.

When to pray the Sub tuum praesidium

• In any danger or anxiety, as a short, trusting cry for help.
• At the end of the Rosary. In October 2018, Pope Francis asked all the faithful to end their daily Rosary with the Sub tuum praesidium and the St. Michael prayer, to protect the Church in a time of trial.
• At the end of the day. In the Liturgy of the Hours it may be sung as the Marian antiphon after Night Prayer, outside the Easter season.
• Before or after the Litany of Loreto, as in many older prayer books, where it is printed as the anthem before the Litany.

Frequently asked questions

What is the oldest prayer to Mary?

The Sub tuum praesidium. The Hail Mary’s first half comes from the Gospel, but as a prayer it took its present form much later.

What does “Sub tuum praesidium” mean?

“Under your protection.” The prayer begins, “We fly to thy patronage” (or “We turn to you for protection”), “O holy Mother of God.”

Is it the same as the Memorare?

No. The Memorare (“Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary”) is a medieval prayer with a similar spirit of trust.

More Marian prayers

• The Memorare
• Hail, Holy Queen
• The Hail Mary
• Litany of Loreto
• Catholic prayers in Latin

Texts and sources

• English: William Gahan, The Complete Manual of Catholic Piety (Project Gutenberg #62988), the anthem before the Litany, public domain.
• Latin: Latin Wikisource, “Sub tuum praesidium.”
• Greek: the Byzantine liturgical text (ancient, public domain).
• Papyrus: P. Rylands III 470 (John Rylands Library, Manchester); C. H. Roberts, Catalogue of the Greek and Latin Papyri in the John Rylands Library, vol. III (1938).
• Catechism of the Catholic Church 971.