We fly to thy protection,
O holy Mother of God.
Despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers,
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Amen.
ECUMENICAL C. 250 AD
Sub Tuum Praesidium
Also known as Beneath Thy Compassion · We Fly to Thy Protection
Other forms
Greek (original, c. 250 AD)
Hypo ten sen eusplagchnian
kataphevgomen, Theotoke,
tas hemon hikesias
me paridēs en peristasei,
all' ek kindynon lytrōsai hemas,
monē Hagne, monē eulogemēne.
Latin (Sub Tuum Praesidium)
Sub tuum praesidium
confugimus, sancta Dei Genetrix.
Nostras deprecationes
ne despicias in necessitatibus nostris,
sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper,
Virgo gloriosa et benedicta.
About this prayer
The Sub Tuum Praesidium is the oldest known prayer to the Virgin Mary outside of the New Testament itself, dating to approximately 250 AD. The Greek original was discovered on a papyrus fragment in Egypt in 1917 and is now held in the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England (Papyrus Rylands 470). The fragment is dated by paleographers to the mid-third century, placing the prayer in the period before the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and demonstrating that intercessory prayer to the Virgin Mary was an established practice of early Egyptian Christianity at least a century earlier than scholars had previously assumed.
The prayer's structure is a simple intercessory petition. The petitioner takes refuge under Mary's compassion (eusplagchnia, a Greek word with strong connotations of maternal mercy), asks her not to despise their petitions in time of need, asks deliverance from dangers, and addresses Mary with the titles 'Theotokos' (God-bearer, Mother of God) and 'only pure, only blessed.' The use of 'Theotokos' is particularly significant: it shows that the title, formally defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, was already in devotional use as early as 250 AD.
The prayer is in continuous liturgical use across multiple Christian traditions today. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is one of the four major Marian antiphons and is sung at Compline, particularly during Ordinary Time. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is sung in Vespers and in many private devotional contexts. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, it is used in the daily office. The Anglican Church has restored its use in many places since the 20th century liturgical movement. The prayer thus serves as a remarkable witness to the continuity and unity of Christian Marian prayer across nearly eighteen hundred years and across all the major branches of Christianity.
The English translation included here is the standard form used in Catholic devotional manuals from the 19th century onward, in the public domain.
When it's said
Used in multiple Christian traditions in different contexts. In the Roman Catholic Church, sung at Compline (Night Prayer) particularly during Ordinary Time and as one of the four major Marian antiphons of the liturgical year. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, sung at Vespers and in personal Marian devotion. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, used in the daily liturgical office. In many traditions, recited at the end of the Rosary, at moments of personal danger, and as a daily Marian prayer.
Notes on the text
The papyrus fragment containing the Greek text (Papyrus Rylands 470) was acquired by Manchester's John Rylands Library in 1917 and identified as a Christian text in 1938. Its dating to approximately 250 AD makes it the earliest extant evidence of Marian intercessory prayer in Christian history and one of the most important pieces of early Christian textual evidence in existence. The discovery substantially revised scholarly understanding of the early development of Marian devotion, demonstrating that prayer to Mary as Theotokos predates the doctrinal definition of the title by nearly two centuries. The Greek word 'eusplagchnia,' translated 'compassion' or 'mercy,' literally means 'good entrails' and reflects the Greek understanding that the deepest emotions are felt in the gut. The word is used in the New Testament (e.g. Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 3:8) to describe a particular quality of mercy that comes from the depths of one's being. Applied to Mary in this prayer, it names her maternal mercy as something deeper than ordinary kindness.
Common questions
Is the Sub Tuum Praesidium really from the third century?
Yes. The Greek original survives on a papyrus fragment (Papyrus Rylands 470) discovered in Egypt and dated by paleographers to approximately 250 AD. The fragment was identified as the Sub Tuum Praesidium in 1938 by C. H. Roberts and is held at the John Rylands Library in Manchester. The dating is considered secure by scholars and makes this prayer the oldest known intercessory prayer to the Virgin Mary outside the New Testament itself.
Why is the Sub Tuum Praesidium important historically?
The prayer demonstrates that Christian intercessory prayer to Mary was an established practice in mid-third-century Egyptian Christianity, more than a century before the title 'Theotokos' (Mother of God) was formally defined at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. This substantially revised scholarly understanding of the early development of Marian devotion, showing that prayer to Mary as Theotokos predated the formal doctrinal definition by nearly two centuries.
Why is this prayer used in so many different Christian traditions?
The Sub Tuum Praesidium predates the major schisms of Christianity (the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the Great Schism of 1054, the Reformation of the 16th century) and was already in liturgical use across the Christian world by the time these divisions occurred. Each major branch of Christianity that maintained Marian devotion (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox including Coptic, and increasingly Anglican) has continued to use the prayer. Its third-century origin makes it part of the common heritage of all these traditions, not the property of any one of them.
Source
Greek original on Papyrus Rylands 470, c. 250 AD, held at the John Rylands Library, Manchester. Latin translation in continuous liturgical use from at least the medieval period. English translation in standard Catholic devotional manuals from the 19th century, in the public domain.
Last reviewed: June 2026 against primary source.