Paul III and the Marian feasts in the Breviary of Quiñones – hymns to Mary (Pontifical Doctrine IV, nn. 152-160)

**Pope Paul III (1534-1549)** is the pontiff who convened the Council of Trent, yet he also approved Marian feasts in the Quinhones Breviary, one of the most significant liturgical reforms of pre-Tridentine times. His Marian documents (nn. 152-160) encompass these feasts and three beautiful hymns to Mary composed for the Breviary.**Collection:** *Doctrina Pontificia IV: Papal Documents on Mary, nn. 152-160***Popes:** Leo X (1513-1521) | Adrian VI (1522-1523) | Clement VII (1523-1534) | Paul III (1534-1549)**Period:** 1520-1536**Theme:** Marian feasts in the Breviary; Hymns to Mary—**Leo X (1513-1521), nn. 149-150: *Pastoris aeterni***The Bull *Pastoris aeterni* (October 6, 1520) from Leo X, the pope who excommunicated Luther, contains two Marian numbers regarding devotion to Mary and Marian confraternities in Portugal. Notably, in the same year he confronted the Reformation, the pope reaffirmed Marian devotion as an unwavering element of Christian faith.—**Adrian VI (1522-1523) and Clement VII (1523-1534)**The brief pontificates of Adrian VI (the last non-Italian pope before John Paul II) and Clement VII (the pope during the Sack of Rome in 1527) did not produce specific Marian documents listed with individual numbers in *Doctrina Pontificia IV*, but both affirmed Marian devotion as an unrenounceable aspect of Catholic faith, countering Protestant criticisms.—**Paul III (1534-1549), nn. 152-160: Quinhones Breviary and Hymns to Mary**The Constitution *Breviarium divini officii* (July 3, 1536) approves the Quinhones Breviary, a reform of the Divine Office that included revitalized Marian feasts with richer texts. The six documents (nn. 152-157) establish the main Marian feasts in the Breviary.The most exquisite numbers are the Hymns to Mary (nn. 158-160), three liturgically rich compositions approved by Paul III:**n. 158, Hymn I to Mary**> *”Ave Maris stella, / Dei Mater alma / atque semper Virgo / felix caeli porta. […] / Monstra te esse matrem, / sumat per te precem / qui pro nobis natus / tulit esse tuus”*, > > (Hail, Star of the Sea, / Mother of God, ever Virgin / Happy gate of Heaven. […] / Show thyself to be a mother, / receive through you our prayer / He who for us was born / wished to be your Son.)**nn. 159-160, Hymns II and III to Mary**The two complementary hymns celebrate Mary as the Dawn of Salvation (*Aurora spei*), Queen of Heaven (*Regina caelorum*), and Helper of the Faithful (*Auxilium christianorum*), titles that foreshadow the invocations in the Lauretan Praises.—**Further Reading:** Explore *Mariology*, *Marialis Cultus* (Paul VI), *Sacrosanctum Concilium*, and *Post-Graduate Mariology*.