Hail, Holy Queen, the Marian antiphon for the end of the day

The Hail, Holy Queen (Salve Regina) is one of the four Marian antiphons of the Liturgy of the Hours and one of the most beloved and most widespread Marian prayers in the Christian tradition. Prayed at the end of the day and after the Rosary, it is a prayer of filial confidence in the Mother. For the full article: Hail, Holy Queen.

The text

“Hail, Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope, hail. 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, our Advocate, those merciful eyes of thine toward us. And after this exile show unto us Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.”

Origin and history

The Salve Regina dates from the eleventh century. Its authorship is disputed among Adhémar de Monteil, Hermann of Reichenau (Hermannus Contractus), and Peter of Compostela. The Cistercians and the Dominicans adopted it early on in their daily liturgy. The final addition, “O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary,” is attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

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Magisterium of the Church

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae. Vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae. Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle.

Antiphon Salve Regina (traditio monastica, saec. XI, Hermanno Contracto attr.)

📚 Literal translation: Hail, Queen, Mother of mercy. Our life, sweetness and hope, hail. To thee we cry out, O banished children of Eve. To thee we sigh, groaning and weeping in this valley of tears.