CATHOLIC 1264 AD

Tantum Ergo

Also known as Down in Adoration Falling · Tantum Ergo Sacramentum

Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail; Lo! o'er ancient forms departing, Newer rites of grace prevail: Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail. To the everlasting Father, And the Son who reigns on high, With the Holy Ghost proceeding Forth from each eternally, Be salvation, honor, blessing, Might, and endless majesty. Amen. V. Thou hast given them bread from heaven. R. Containing in itself all sweetness. Let us pray. O God, who in this wonderful sacrament hast left us a memorial of thy passion: grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of thy body and blood, that we may ever feel within ourselves the fruit of thy redemption. Who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Other forms

Latin (Tantum Ergo Sacramentum)

Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui. Genitori, Genitoque Laus et jubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. Amen. V. Panem de caelo praestitisti eis. R. Omne delectamentum in se habentem. Oremus. Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili passionis tuae memoriam reliquisti, tribue quaesumus, ita nos corporis et sanguinis tui sacra mysteria venerari, ut redemptionis tuae fructum in nobis iugiter sentiamus. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

About this prayer

The Tantum Ergo is the fifth and sixth stanzas of Saint Thomas Aquinas's Pange Lingua Gloriosi, sung as a standalone prayer at the rite of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church. Although it is part of the longer Pange Lingua, the Tantum Ergo has acquired such a distinct identity in Catholic devotional life that it functions effectively as its own prayer and is heard far more often than the full Pange Lingua.

The rite of Benediction is a Catholic devotional service in which a consecrated host is exposed in a monstrance for adoration by the faithful, and at the close of the service the priest blesses the people with the monstrance. The Tantum Ergo is sung immediately before this blessing, accompanied by the incensing of the Blessed Sacrament. The structure of the prayer matches the structure of Benediction: the first stanza calls for adoration of the sacrament; the second stanza is the doxology to the Trinity; a versicle and response and a concluding collect prepare the way for the blessing itself.

The English translation included here is by Edward Caswall (1814-1878), from his Lyra Catholica of 1849. It is the standard English form sung at Benediction services in English-speaking Catholic parishes. The Latin Tantum Ergo is also extremely widely used; many parishes that conduct most of their worship in English still sing the Tantum Ergo in Latin to its traditional Mode III plainchant.

The theological argument of the prayer is the same as in the parent Pange Lingua: faith supplies what the senses cannot detect, because the Eucharist is truly the body and blood of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. The doxology that follows is one of the great trinitarian doxologies of Western Christianity, praising the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the formula of orthodox Catholic theology.

When it's said

Sung at the rite of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in Catholic churches. Benediction is held following Eucharistic adoration, after major liturgical celebrations, on First Fridays of the month in many parishes, at the close of a Holy Hour, at the end of a parish mission or retreat, and on certain feast days, particularly Corpus Christi and its octave. The Tantum Ergo is also sung at the conclusion of the Forty Hours' Devotion, an extended period of Eucharistic exposition observed in many Catholic dioceses.

Notes on the text

The Tantum Ergo's plainchant melody (Mode III) is one of the most recognizable Gregorian melodies in existence and has been incorporated into countless polyphonic settings. Composers from Mozart and Schubert to modern liturgical musicians have set the Tantum Ergo to music. The Mozart 'Ave Verum Corpus' has sometimes been confused with the Tantum Ergo because both are short Eucharistic settings, but they are distinct prayers with different texts. The versicle 'Panem de caelo praestitisti eis' ('Thou hast given them bread from heaven') is from Wisdom 16:20 and Psalm 78:24. The response 'Omne delectamentum in se habentem' ('containing in itself all sweetness') is also from Wisdom 16:20. The collect that follows is the proper Collect for the feast of Corpus Christi, also composed by Aquinas, and links the Tantum Ergo directly to the feast for which the parent Pange Lingua was originally written.

Common questions

Is the Tantum Ergo a separate prayer or part of the Pange Lingua?

Both. The Tantum Ergo consists of the fifth and sixth stanzas of Saint Thomas Aquinas's Pange Lingua Gloriosi (1264). It functions as a standalone prayer at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, but it was composed by Aquinas as the final two stanzas of the longer hymn. Catholics encounter the Tantum Ergo far more often than the full Pange Lingua, since Benediction is a frequent devotional service while the full Pange Lingua is sung mainly on Corpus Christi and Holy Thursday.

What is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament?

Benediction is a Catholic devotional service in which a consecrated host is exposed in a monstrance (a special ornamental vessel) for adoration, and at the close of the service the priest blesses the people with the monstrance while incense is burned. The Tantum Ergo is sung immediately before the blessing itself. The service is rooted in medieval Eucharistic devotion and was formalized in the Roman Ritual in the 17th century.

Why is the Tantum Ergo often sung in Latin even in English-speaking parishes?

The Tantum Ergo's plainchant melody (Mode III) is one of the most beautiful and recognizable in the Gregorian repertoire, and many Catholic parishes preserve the Latin singing of this particular prayer as part of the continuity of the Catholic liturgical tradition. The English translation by Caswall is also widely used, especially in parishes that conduct most of their worship in English. Both practices are entirely appropriate; the prayer is the same in either language.

Source

Saint Thomas Aquinas, the final two stanzas of Pange Lingua Gloriosi (1264), composed for the Office of Corpus Christi. English translation by Edward Caswall, Lyra Catholica (London, 1849). The versicle, response, and collect are from the Roman Missal and the Office of Corpus Christi. Public domain.

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Last reviewed: June 2026 against primary source.