ECUMENICAL 8TH CENTURY AD (EARLIEST MANUSCRIPT)

St. Patrick's Breastplate

Also known as The Lorica of St. Patrick · I Bind Unto Myself Today · The Deer's Cry

I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity, by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three. I bind this day to me forever, by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation; his baptism in the Jordan River; his death on cross for my salvation; his bursting from the spiced tomb; his riding up the heavenly way; his coming at the day of doom; I bind unto myself today. I bind unto myself today the virtues of the starlit heaven, the glorious sun's life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even, the flashing of the lightning free, the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks, the stable earth, the deep salt sea, around the old eternal rocks. Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. I bind unto myself the Name, the strong Name of the Trinity; by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three, of whom all nature hath creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word. Praise to the Lord of my salvation: salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Amen.

About this prayer

St. Patrick's Breastplate is an ancient Irish Christian prayer attributed to St. Patrick (c. 385-461 AD), the patron saint of Ireland. The attribution is traditional; the earliest surviving manuscript of the prayer dates to the 8th century, three centuries after Patrick's death. The prayer takes the form of a lorica, a type of Celtic Christian prayer that calls on divine protection by naming the attributes of God and the forces of creation as a shield against evil. The word 'breastplate' translates the Latin lorica, the piece of armor that protects the chest. The prayer is also known in the Irish tradition as 'The Deer's Cry,' from a legend that Patrick and his companions were transformed into deer to escape their enemies after singing it. It is one of the most distinctive surviving examples of Celtic Christian prayer.

When it's said

St. Patrick's Breastplate is used in both Catholic and Anglican worship, particularly on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) and at ordinations and commissioning services. The 'Christ be with me' section is frequently used independently as a morning prayer or a prayer before ministry. It appears in many Protestant hymnals in the well-known metrical version by Cecil Frances Alexander (1889 AD).

Notes on the text

The text given here is a standard English rendering of the prayer in common liturgical use, based on the translation by Cecil Frances Alexander. The full prayer in its medieval Irish form is considerably longer. The central section beginning 'Christ be with me' is the most widely quoted and is sometimes used as a prayer in its own right.

Common questions

Did Saint Patrick write Saint Patrick's Breastplate?
The attribution is traditional but uncertain. Saint Patrick (c. 387-461 AD) is named as the author in early Irish manuscripts, but the surviving text of the Breastplate dates from the 8th century AD, three centuries after Patrick's death. The prayer reflects the worldview of early Irish Christianity, and whether Patrick himself composed an earlier version that was later expanded, or whether the attribution was added to give the prayer apostolic weight, cannot be determined.
Why is it called a 'Breastplate'?
In Irish the prayer is called a 'lorica,' which is Latin for breastplate or armor. The genre of the lorica was common in early medieval Irish Christianity: a prayer of protection said in the morning, invoking God's defense as a warrior invokes armor. The image draws on Ephesians 6:14, where Paul speaks of putting on 'the breastplate of righteousness.' Several other Irish loricas survive from the same period.
What is the famous translation of Saint Patrick's Breastplate?
The most widely known English version is by Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), published in 1889. It begins 'I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity' and is the version usually sung as a hymn. The Alexander translation paraphrases and expands the Old Irish original; a more literal scholarly translation gives a slightly different sense of the original poem. Both forms are in the public domain.
Source

Attributed to St. Patrick (c. 385-461 AD); earliest manuscript 8th century AD. English translation by Cecil Frances Alexander, 1889 AD. Alexander's translation is in the public domain. Public domain.

Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.

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