Angelus Prayer Card – The Annunciation – by Simon Bening – pack of 10/100/1000

The Angelus is a traditional Catholic prayer honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary at the moment of the Incarnation with her acceptance of Gabriel's announcement. According to simplycatholic.org, most Church historians date the Angelus to 11th-century Italy, where monks said three Hail Marys during night prayers, at the last bell of the day.By 1317, saying three Hail Marys at sundown was recommended by Pope John XXII, who added indulgences to it a few years later. Saying three Hail Marys at sunup and noontime were added some decades after that, and then the actual Angelus prayers were added which precede the Hail Marys. The Angelus gets its name from the first word of the prayer in Latin, "(An) Angel of the Lord... " By about the time of this painting, "The Annunciation" by Simon Bening, 1484, the prayers were in the form we still have them today. There were bells calling people to these prayers as there still are in many Catholic churches today. It is a lovely habit to get into, and it wil