In many Spanish homes, everything stopped at twelve o'clock: the church bells rang and grandmothers put aside whatever they were doing to pray the Angelus in a low voice. At home, our father prays the Angelus. It is a short, beautiful prayer that is very easy to learn by heart, also with the medal of the Virgin held between the fingers. Here is the full text, when it is prayed, where it comes from, and what it means.
Full text of the Angelus
The Angelus has three parts. In each one, someone says the verse (V.), the others respond (R.) and an Ave Maria is prayed. If you pray it alone, you say both parts.
V. The Angel of the Lord announced to Mary.
R. And she conceived by the work and grace of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary…
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Let it be done to me according to your word.
Hail Mary…
V. And the Word was made flesh.
R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be worthy to obtain the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us pray. Infuse, O Lord, your grace into our souls, so that we, who have known, through the announcement of the Angel, the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, through his passion and his cross, may be led to the glory of the resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
In many places, when saying “And the Word was made flesh,” a small bow or genuflection is made.
At Easter, the Regina Coeli
From Easter Sunday until Pentecost, the Angelus is replaced by the Regina Coeli (“Queen of Heaven”), a prayer full of joy in which each line ends with an alleluia:
Queen of Heaven, rejoice; alleluia.
For you were worthy to bear in your womb; alleluia.
He has risen, as you foretold; alleluia.
Pray for us to God; alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary; alleluia.
R. For truly the Lord has risen; alleluia.
Let us pray. O God, who by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, you have deigned to give joy to the world, grant us, through the intercession of his Mother, the Virgin Mary, to obtain the joys of eternal life. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
When it is prayed: the 6, 12, and 18 o'clock bells
Traditionally it is prayed three times a day: in the morning (around six), at noon, and in the afternoon (around six). Churches announced it with a special bell toll, and in many towns in Spain it can still be heard. That is why so many older people simply call it “twelve o'clock” or “the Angelus toll.”
The noon prayer is the best known, but the beauty lies in the underlying idea: to open, divide, and close the day by remembering Mary. It takes two minutes. There is no need to be in a church; it can be prayed in the car, at the office, or while walking.
Where it comes from: a brief history
No one invented the Angelus all at once. It was born from the medieval custom of praying three Ave Marias at the evening bell toll, closely linked to the Franciscans: in 1269 Saint Bonaventure encouraged the faithful to pray them at that time. Over time, the morning and noon tolls were added.
In 1456 Pope Calixt III, the Valencian Alfonso de Borja, asked that the bells toll at noon and that prayers be offered for peace in the face of the Ottoman threat. Historians point out that this was not yet the Angelus as we know it, but it helped greatly to establish the noon prayer. The current form, with its verses, already appears in the 16th century and became established in the 17th. The Regina Coeli has been asked instead of the Angelus at Easter since 1742, by disposition of Benedict XIV.
In 1974, Saint Paul VI wrote in Marialis cultus that the Angelus “has no need of restoration”: its simple structure, its biblical character, and its rhythm throughout the day make it retain “its freshness intact.” We love that phrase.
What the Angelus means
The Angelus recalls the Annunciation: the moment when the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she is going to be the mother of the Son of God, and she says yes. The verses are taken almost literally from the Gospel: the announcement and Mary's response come from Saint Luke (Lk 1:26-38), and “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” is from the prologue of Saint John (Jn 1:14).
At heart, it is a prayer about the Incarnation: God becoming one of us. And it is deeply Marian, because everything passes through the “yes” of a young girl from Nazareth. Every time we pray it, we repeat her “let it be done,” which is a very simple way of asking to trust as she did.
The Pope's Angelus, Sundays at St. Peter's
Every Sunday at noon, the Pope looks out the window of the Apostolic Palace, comments on the Gospel of the day, and prays the Angelus with the pilgrims who fill Saint Peter's Square. Saint John XXIII made this meeting a custom in 1959, and it continues to this day; at Easter, what is prayed is the Regina Coeli. It can be followed live on Vatican News.
Surely you are also familiar with Jean-François Millet's painting The Angelus: two peasants who stop working in the field upon hearing the bell. It summarizes very well what this prayer is.
Praying the Angelus and carrying the Virgin with you
A medal of the Virgin is not an amulet; it is a reminder. Many people touch their medal without realizing it several times a day. A beautiful idea: when twelve o'clock strikes, that gesture becomes the Angelus. The medal is the way to always carry her devotion: the Immaculate, the Miraculous, the Pillar, or the Carmel, close to the heart, reminding you to stop for a moment and say “let it be done.” If you are looking for yours, here you have the medal of the Miraculous Virgin and the medal of Our Lady of the Pillar in all their models.
Khartes Medals
To always carry the Virgin with you
Medal of the Immaculate with pearls€69I want it
Medal of La Milagrosa with natural pearls€69I want it
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Handmade in Spain · Gold-plated chain 40 + 5 cm included · Free shipping from €65 (Mainland Spain and Balearic Islands)
We design all our medals ourselves and make them by hand in Spain, with the workshops and enamellers we work with; the chains are also Spanish. If you want to know more, we tell you in how to choose your Immaculate medal and in the Miraculous Medal: what it means and how to choose yours. And if you like to pray with the medal, you might also like “O Mary conceived without sin,” the prayer of the Miraculous Medal.
Khartes Medals
A Virgin to give to someone you pray with
Medal of Our Lady of the Pillar with natural pearls€69I want it
Medal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with natural pearls€69I want it
Medal of Our Lady of the Pillar with topazes€69I want it
Gift wrapped, free · Handwritten card with your message, free
If you give it as a gift, write us the message you want on the product page and we will write it by hand on a card, free. Sometimes one line is enough: “So you can pray the Angelus with me, even though we are far apart.”
Frequently asked questions about the Angelus
What time is the Angelus prayed?
Traditionally three times a day: around 6 in the morning, at 12 noon, and around 6 in the afternoon. The noon one is the best known.
What is prayed instead of the Angelus at Easter?
From Easter Sunday until Pentecost, the Regina Coeli is prayed, a prayer to the Virgin in which each line ends with “alleluia.”
What does the Angelus recall?
The Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary and the Incarnation of the Son of God: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”
When does the Pope pray the Angelus?
On Sundays and holidays at twelve noon, from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking Saint Peter's Square.
Facts you can check
- Paul VI, Marialis cultus (1974), n. 41: the Angelus “has no need of restoration” and retains “its freshness intact.” Source
- Structure of the Angelus (three verses with Ave Maria, final prayer) and traditional hours (6, 12, and 18 h). Source · Source
- The Regina Coeli replaces the Angelus during the Easter season and was established by Benedict XIV in 1742. Source · Source
- History: Saint Bonaventure (1269), Calixt III and the noon toll (1456), current form established between the 16th and 17th centuries, Pope's Sunday Angelus instituted by John XXIII (1959). Source
- The Pope's Angelus on Sundays in Saint Peter's Square. Source
The most beautiful medals in the world are at Khartes.
Marian and Barbara