Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 3.6

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth feature of the gratitude we owe the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 3. Third sign of devotion : to offer the Ave Maria frequently to the Blessed Virgin

On the Angelus

 6   Whilst we are on this subject, let us say a few words about the holy custom of praying to the glorious Virgin three times every day with the Ave Maria at the sound of the bell in the morning, at midday and in the evening. Not everyone is in agreement about the origin of this pious devotion although it is fairly certain that it developed slowly before finally being reduced to the form which is observed at present throughout the whole Church. There are some[1] who say that the person who decreed the Holy Virgin should be greeted in the evening was Pope John XXII who granted twenty days of indulgences to those who recite the Ave Maria when they hear the sound of the bell.

  

The institution of this devotion arose from an incident which occurred in the city of Avignon where in the year 1320 a criminal, who had been condemned to be burned at the stake along with a companion, implored the Holy Virgin for her help with such heartfelt emotion that, whilst his companion was reduced to ashes, the fire did not touch him at all but could burn only the cords which bound him to the stake, even though they attempted the process a second time. All those present were so moved by what they saw that, recognising the special protection provided to him by the MOTHER OF GOD, they begged her forgiveness and led the man to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame to join him in offering an act of thanksgiving to her who had delivered him.

 

Others attribute the introduction of greeting the Holy Virgin in the morning to Thierry, Archbishop of Cologne ; but the biographer of St Bonaventure[2] gives him the glory of honouring her first in this way, both in the morning and in the afternoon. All things being considered, it seems to me that we have greater reason to accept what others write[3], namely that this holy devotion began at the Council of Claremont following a decree of Urban II who presided there in person. This ordered the bell to be rung twice each day, in the evening and in the morning, calling upon the Christian people to say the Ave in honour of the Queen of Heaven. It was with her favour the call to the Crusade in the Holy Land had been issued so that she might deign to take under her protection those who were going to risk their lives for the sake of the Faith and the Catholic Religion. Several other historians share the view that King Louis XI, following the advice of the Prelates in his kingdom, added the prayer which is said at midday; little by little, neighbouring provinces followed the example of France and soon the devotion was embraced generally throughout the Church, finally being simplified to the form which we use now. 

Irrespective of who was actually the author and what the reasons for its introduction may have been, whether

    • to remind us of the three greatest mysteries about faith, namely the Incarnation, the Death and the Resurrection of the Saviour, and to give thanks to God and to the most sacred Virgin for the indescribable benefits that we have received through their fulfilment; or

    • to make a public declaration at three different times in the day of the need we have for Heaven’s assistance from the morning through to the evening; or

    • to enable the Church to instruct us in the need we have to protect ourselves against our invisible enemies who are always trying to take us by surprise with their wickedness and snares and to teach us how we should look to heaven for help, 

it is clear that the devotion is filled with piety and loving gratitude, so that for as long as it is preserved it will protect the Church, serving as a reminder of the graces and favours which may be hoped for through the mediation of the Mother of Mercy. Pope Paul V has granted one thousand days of indulgences to those who practise the Angelus devotion in honour of the Holy Virgin following the custom of the Church. 

   

Footnotes

[1] Polydor. Virg., lib. VI de Inventoribus rerum, c. 12.

[2] Octavius, apud Surium, tom. V.

[3] Arnoldus Wionius, lib. V Ligni Vitæ, cap. 20, etc.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.