O Sanctissima
Encyclopedia
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is claimed that the tune of the hymn is Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
The tune is sometimes called Sicilian Mariners Hymn or Mariners Hymn.
The words of the first verse of the hymn in Latin are:
O Sanctissima, O Piissima
Dulcis Virgo Maria
Mater amata, Intemerata
Ora, Ora Pro Nobis
O most holy, O most lowly
Sweet Virgin Mary
Beloved Mother, undefiled
Pray, pray for us!
Other verses are:
Tota pulchra es, O Maria
Et macula non est in te
Mater amata intemerata
Ora, ora pro nobis
Sicut lilium inter spinas
Sic Maria inter filias
Mater amata intemerata
Ora ora pro nobis
In miseria, in angustia
Ora Virgo pro nobis
Pro nobis ora in mortis hora
Ora, ora pro nobis
Tu solatium et refugium
Virgo Mater Maria
Quidquid optamus per te speramus
Ora, ora pro nobis
It has also been made into a Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words not relating to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but rather to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
himself and his day of birth:
O thou happy, O thou holy
Glorious peace bringing Christmas time
Angel throngs to meet thee
On Thy birth we greet Thee
Hail to Christ, the Son of God, our newborn king
Or, in another English-language rendition:
Oh, how joyfully; Oh, how merrily
Christmas comes with its grace divine
Grace again is beaming
Christ the world redeeming;
Hail, ye Christians,
Hail the joyous Christmas time
The German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version ("O du fröhliche
O du fröhliche
O du fröhliche is a German Christmas carol. The author of the original is the famous Weimar "orphan father" Johannes Daniel Falk . Heinrich Holzschuher from Wunsiedel wrote the latter three verses, which are sung today....
") is a commonly well-known Christmas carol.
In the Spanish language the Christmas carol version begins -- O Santisimo, felicisimo.
The Czech version is a Marian song “Matko přesvatá” (Nr. 808 in Catholic Kancionál from publisher Zvon, 1993f.).
This tune is also used for the hymn -- Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing.
The Latin version is not typically heard at Christmas, but more often sung in Catholic churches
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
on Marian feast days.
It is sometimes claimed that the tune is the source of the song "We Shall Overcome
We Shall Overcome
"We Shall Overcome" is a protest song that became a key anthem of the African-American Civil Rights Movement . The title and structure of the song are derived from an early gospel song by African-American composer Charles Albert Tindley...
". (Tindley).