Ave Maria – The Hail Mary

The third prayer in this section is The Hail Mary or Ave Maria as it is called in latin. It is a Prayer to the Virgin Mary, giving salutations and asking for her Intercession. The Prayer is based on a greeting from the Angel Gabriel to Mary when he was delivering the message to inform her that she was bearing the Messiah.

The Lord’s Prayer

The second Prayer in this section is the well known Lord’s Prayer.

This is the Prayer that the famous Hyperpolyglot, Cardinal Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti, would ask people to recite in their native language when visiting him.

With his understanding of the Lord’s Prayer, in his native tongue, and comparing how the speaker recited it, Cardinal Mezzofanti was able to understand the rhythm and cadence of the target language.

Many people visited him and enabled him to learn around 40 languages, which he would use to give blessings or confessions in their own language…

…or so the legend goes.

The Sign of the Cross

After so many requests to speak about and explain the Christian Prayers in their original language we’ve decided to dedicate a section to it.

We’ll update step by step with common prayers and their official translations.

Whether you believe in it or not it’s interesting reading and undeniable part of Italy and Italian culture.

You’ll be able to compare to the English version along with enhancing your knowledge in the target language of Italian.  It makes a fascinating read in terms of culture.