AVE maris stella, Dei Mater alma, atque semper Virgo, felix caeli porta. HAIL, O Star of the ocean, God's own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heav'nly rest.

"Ave maris stella" (Latin for 'Hail, star of the sea') is a medieval Marian hymn, usually sung at Vespers. It was especially popular in the Middle Ages and has been used by many composers, as the basis of other compositions.

The hymn Ave Maris Stella (Hail Star of the Sea) printed below in English is a wonderful tribute, both in prayer and song, to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The original Latin text dates back to around the 8th-9th centuries although it has been attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153).

The Ave Maris Stella is a traditional Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary, recognizes Mary as the Star of the Sea who guides Christians through life’s storms. The prayer asks for Mary’s intercession to spiritually birth Christ in our hearts and lead us to righteous lives.

Display Title: Ave Maris stella First Line: Ave Maris stella Tune Title: [Ave Maris stella] Date: 1920 The St. Gregory Hymnal and Catholic Choir Book. Singers' ed., Melody ed. #201a

Liturgical use: Hymn at Vespers on feasts of the Virgin Mary. Mary's title of stella maris was first proposed by St. Jerome, in his treatise Liber de nominibus hebraicis (probably around AD 390), in which he explains the etymology of Hebrew names.

Ave Maris Stella was one of the most popular hymns of the Middle Ages. Believed to have been originally composed in the 8th or 9th century, the hymn hails the Blessed Virgin as Mother of God, Star of the Sea, and mediator between God and Man.

Ave Maris Stella. Hail, Star of the sea! Blessed Mother of God, yet ever a virgin! O happy gate of heaven! Thou that didst receive the Ave from Gabriel's lips, confirm us in peace, and so let Eva be changed into an Ave of blessing for us. Loose the sinner's chains, bring light to the blind, drive from us our evils, and ask all good things for us.

Ave Maris Stella (Hail, thou Star of Ocean), the first verse of an unrhymed, accentual hymn, of seven strophes of four lines each, assigned in the Roman Breviary to Vespers in the Common Office, the Office for Saturdays, and the Little Office (as well as for Feasts) of the Blessed Virgin.

The hymn consists of seven stanzas, Ave Maris Stella sung in the choir of Notre-Dame. Listen and read the lyrics in French and Latin.