Concept in Definition ABC

The rosary is a set of prayers dedicated to the Virgin Mary and are part of the tradition of the catholic church. It is a practice of devotion to the Virgin and is widespread throughout the world.

Its origin is found in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament (in the Gospel of Saint Luke) when the angel Gabriel presents himself to Mary to inform her that she is going to be the mother of Jesus Christ and this encounter is the historical precedent for the recitation of the Hail Mary, one of the prayers that later became part of the rosary.

Historical evolution

From a historical point of view, it must be remembered that during the Middle Ages Catholics venerated and prayed to the Virgin, placing roses next to her image. A group of roses is denominated in Latin with the term rosarium and from there comes the expression rosary beads. At the same time, the believers had the custom of praying the 150 psalms of the Bible, but those who did not know them kept repeating the Hail Mary prayer.

To facilitate the prayer, knots were tied in a rope and each of them symbolized a prayer. These practices were evolving and in the XII century Santo Domingo de Guzmán introduced the prayer of the Holy Rosary not only to adore the Virgin but also to combat a movement heretical religious (the Albigensian heresy).

Consolidation, on the basis of praying to the Virgin and Jesus Christ

The practice of reciting the rosary was consolidated from the 11th century. Its primary purpose is to pray to the Virgin and at the same time meditate on the figure of Jesus Christ. In this context, groups of the faithful were created (the brotherhoods) that were dedicated to praying the rosary in a group. Starting in the 15th century, the Dominican order introduced a new variant in these prayers, structuring the prayers into 15 mysteries and each of them was divided into 15 Hail Marys (equivalent to the 150 psalms of the Bible Psalter). The recitation of the rosary was carried out over a week and was divided into three types of mysteries (joyful, painful and glorious).

Incorporation of the litanies

Another component of the rosary are the litanies that were introduced in the 15th century in reference to the Virgin (for example, mother of God or queen of angels). At that time the popes introduced the custom of praying the rosary as a way of granting some indulgence to whoever prayed the rosary and in this way the forgiveness of a sin.

On conclusion, the rosary is a series of prayers based on the Bible, dedicated to the Virgin and Jesus Christ and is also a form of meditation intended for consolidate the faith of the believers.