Blessed art thou, our Lady Mary, Mother of God,
thou hast borne for us the Lord of glory.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Thou art the burning bush which Moses saw,
but not consumed by the fire.
Thou art the ladder of Jacob,
whose top reached unto heaven.
Thou art the garden enclosed,
the fountain sealed,
the paradise of the Most High.
Thou art the ark of the New Covenant,
overlaid with the gold of thy purity.
Intercede for us with thy Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
that we may be saved.
Blessed art thou, our Lady Mary,
more honorable than the Cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Amen.
Wudasse Maryam
Also known as Praises of Mary · Ethiopian Praises of Mary · Weddase Maryam
About this prayer
The Wudasse Maryam (Ge'ez for 'Praises of Mary') is a major Marian devotional work of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world. The Ethiopian Church traces its origins to the 4th century, when Saint Frumentius brought Christianity to the Aksumite kingdom around 330 AD, and is one of the six Oriental Orthodox churches that separated from the broader Christian communion after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD over Christological questions.
The Wudasse Maryam in its complete form is a substantial work of seven sections, one for each day of the week, sung in the Ge'ez liturgical language of Ethiopian Christianity. Each section consists of extended Marian praise drawing on biblical types of Mary (the burning bush, Jacob's ladder, the ark of the covenant, the garden enclosed, the fountain sealed), Christological theology, and intercessory petitions. The complete work is traditionally attributed to Hiob (Job) of Sega, a 14th-century Ethiopian monastic writer, though aspects of the text are older and the compilation has continued to develop within the Ethiopian liturgical tradition.
The Wudasse Maryam is one of the most-sung prayers in Ethiopian Christianity. Ethiopian Orthodox laypeople, monastics, and clergy sing it daily, with a different section appointed for each day of the week. The text presented here is a brief excerpt, with the full work running to many pages of sustained Marian praise.
The inclusion of this prayer in the collection acknowledges the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church as one of the major Christian traditions of the world, with a continuous liturgical and devotional life of seventeen centuries. The Ethiopian church preserves Christian practices, texts, and biblical books (including books from the broader Septuagint canon and unique Ethiopian texts like the Book of Enoch) that are not present in most other Christian traditions.
When it's said
Sung daily in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo worship, with a different section appointed for each day of the week. Used in Ethiopian Orthodox monasteries as part of the daily office. Sung in the Ge'ez language (the liturgical language of Ethiopian Christianity, related to but distinct from modern Amharic) at most Ethiopian church services. Recited in private Marian devotion across the Ethiopian Christian diaspora.
Notes on the text
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the six Oriental Orthodox churches (along with the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Eritrean, and Indian Malankara churches) that separated from the broader Christian communion after the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. The Oriental Orthodox churches preserve the theological position that Christ has one composite divine-human nature (the Miaphysite position). The Oriental Orthodox churches are in dialogue with Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Anglican churches and the theological differences have in recent decades been understood as largely terminological rather than substantive. The excerpt presented here is a brief sample of what is in its complete form a substantial liturgical work. Anyone wishing to study the complete work should consult Ethiopian Orthodox liturgical sources directly.
Common questions
What is the Wudasse Maryam?
Who wrote the Wudasse Maryam?
What is the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church?
Traditionally attributed to Hiob (Job) of Sega, 14th-century Ethiopian monastic writer, though aspects of the text are older. Used in the daily liturgical office of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Standard PD English translations from late 19th and early 20th century scholarly editions.
Last reviewed: June 2026 against primary source.