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  "description": "The information posted here is uploaded from the following article: The original papyrus fragment.\n\nIn 1917, a stunning treasure came to the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England.\n\nIt was a piece of papyrus, Egyptian in origin.\n\nOn this fragment, in Greek, is inscribed a hymn to Mary, called in Latin Sub Tuum Praesidium, or “Under Thy Protection.” It was part of the Christmas liturgy of the Coptic Church, and continues to be sung in both the Eastern and Western Church today.\n\nThe original ",
  "path": "/oldest-extant-invocation-to-mary/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-15T00:32:38.000Z",
  "site": "https://answeringislam.blog",
  "tags": [
    "The original papyrus fragment",
    "**St. Cyril’s Praise of Mary**"
  ],
  "textContent": "The information posted here is uploaded from the following article: The original papyrus fragment.\n\nIn 1917, a stunning treasure came to the John Rylands Library in Manchester, England.\n\nIt was a piece of papyrus, Egyptian in origin.\n\nOn this fragment, in Greek, is inscribed a hymn to Mary, called in Latin  _Sub Tuum Praesidium_ , or “Under Thy Protection.” It was part of the Christmas liturgy of the Coptic Church, and continues to be sung in both the Eastern and Western Church today.\n\n_The original papyrus fragment_\n\nThe fragment is from around 250 A.D., making  _Sub Tuum Praesidium_ the oldest known prayer to Our Lady. Obviously this is just the date of the fragment itself, so the hymn may be older, and there are likely other ancient devotions that have not made it to subsequent generations.\n\nAdditionally, the lyrics hail Our Lady as “Theotokos”—“God-bearer” or “Mother of God”—showing that this title was already applied to her long before she officially received it at the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D.\n\nWe can see, therefore, that devotion to Our Lady dates back to the very earliest centuries of the Church.\n\nHere is an English translation of this beautiful song:**__**\n\n**_Under your mercy we take refuge,\nMother of God!\nDo not despise our prayers in necessities,\nbut from danger deliver us,\nonly pure, only blessed one._**\n\n**Further Reading**\n\n**St. Cyril’s Praise of Mary**",
  "title": "Oldest Extant Invocation to Mary",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-15T00:32:39.056Z"
}