Rosary Tattoo Meaning: Prayer, Faith and Protection

A garden of roses

The word rosary comes from the Latin rosarium, “rose garden”. In the Middle Ages the rose was the flower of the Virgin Mary, and a series of prayers offered to her was imagined as a crown or garland of roses laid at her feet. Each prayer is a rose; the whole rosary is a garden given to her.

A well-known tradition says that the Virgin Mary gave the rosary to Saint Dominic in the thirteenth century. Whatever its exact origin, the Dominican order spread the devotion across Europe, and it became the most loved prayer of Catholic people.

The beads and what they hold

The rosary begins with a crucifix, on which the Apostles' Creed is said. Then comes a single bead for the Our Father and three beads for the Hail Mary, asking for faith, hope and love. After that the circle opens into five decades: each one a single bead for the Our Father followed by ten beads for the Hail Mary, closed by the Glory Be.

The Hail Mary begins with the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary: “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women” (Luke 1:28).

The mysteries

While the lips repeat the prayers, the mind meditates on the mysteries, events from the lives of Christ and Mary. The Joyful Mysteries tell of the Annunciation and the birth and childhood of Jesus. The Sorrowful Mysteries follow his agony in the garden, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion. The Glorious Mysteries celebrate the resurrection, the ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the assumption and coronation of Mary. In 2002 Pope John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries, from Christ's baptism to the Last Supper.

The rosary is, in this sense, the whole Gospel on a string.

Our Lady of the Rosary

In 1571 a Christian fleet defeated the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V had asked the faithful to pray the rosary for victory, and he attributed the outcome to the intercession of the Virgin. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on 7 October, and October is traditionally the month of the rosary.

From this history the rosary also became a sign of protection: a spiritual weapon held in the hand.

Prayer beads in other faiths

The rosary belongs to a much wider human practice. Orthodox Christians pray with a knotted prayer rope, repeating the Jesus Prayer. Muslims use the misbaha or tasbih, often of thirty-three or ninety-nine beads, to praise God and recite his names. Hindus and Buddhists pray and meditate with a mala, traditionally of one hundred and eight beads. Across the world, people have found that the hands can help the heart to pray.

Companions and variations

A rosary with the Virgin Mary deepens the devotion to her.

A rosary with a cross or the face of Christ centres it on his sacrifice.

A rosary with a name, a date or praying hands turns it into a prayer for someone.

A rosary with a rose returns to the origin of the word.

What a rosary tattoo means to the person who wears it

Faith: a constant prayer that goes wherever you go.

Protection: the rosary as a shield, and Mary's care over the one who wears it.

Memory: many people have been buried holding a rosary, and many wear one for a parent or grandparent who prayed it every day.

Gratitude: thanks for a prayer that was answered.