Sub tuum praesidium

Beneath Thy Protection (Ὑπὸ τὴν σὴν εὐσπλαγχνίαν; Sub Tuum Præsidium) is an ancient Christian hymn and prayer. It is one of the oldest known Marian prayers and among the most ancient preserved hymns to the Blessed Virgin Mary that is still in use. A papyrus containing it has been dated as early as the mid 3rd century by some scholars. The hymn is well attested among the believers of the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy. The earliest text of this hymn was found in a Coptic Orthodox Christmas liturgy. Rylands Papyrus 470 records the hymn in Greek, and was dated to the 3rd century by papyrologist E. Lobel and by scholar C.H. Roberts to the 4th century. By contrast, Hans Förster dates it to the 8th century and states that Roberts merely quoted Lobel, and that there is no consensus on the early date. Although he notes that a number of scholars support Lobel and Roberts, Towarek follows Förster and others in concluding that the earliest textual witness to the hymn is of 6th/7th century provenance and that it only became liturgically prevalent in the Middle Ages. Aside from the date of the papyrus, the Sub Tuum Praesidium itself probably dates to shortly before 400, when veneration of Mary increased. Recent scholarship has identified the hymn in the Georgian Iadgari (Chantbook) of Jerusalem, demonstrating that the Sub Tuum Praesidium was in liturgical use during the 5th century. The Sub Tuum was part of the Order of Sulpician custom that all classes ended with a recitation of this prayer. Besides the Greek text, ancient versions can be found in Coptic, Syriac, Armenian and Latin. Henri de Villiers finds in the term "blessed" a reference to the salutation by Saint Elizabeth in . 'Praesidium' is translated as "an assistance given in time of war by fresh troops in a strong manner." The former medieval and post-medieval practice in several dioceses, especially in France, was to use the Sub tuum as the final antiphon at Compline instead of the Salve Regina, and in the Rite of Braga, where it is sung at the end of Mass.