Herbert Thurston
Catholic
1856–1939
“…we may conclude that the Angelus in its origin was an imitation of the monks' night prayers and that it had probably nothing directly to do with the curfew bell.”
A prayer of the Church · its history
The Angelus
The threefold daily remembrance of the Incarnation, rung at morning, noon, and evening — grown from the monastic evening bell into a devotion of the whole Church.
From the early Church Fathers to now.
The prayer
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.
V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And dwelt among us.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. (A Hail Mary is said after each of the first three versicles.)
Scholastic
c. 1100 – 1500
1269
Event
The evening bell
The custom of a triple Hail Mary at the sound of the evening bell arises in the Franciscan and monastic houses, in memory of the angelic salutation and the Incarnation.
1318
Event
Pope John XXII grants an indulgence
The evening Angelus is recommended and indulgenced by Pope John XXII in 1318, and again in 1327 — the first documented papal act for the devotion.
157 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
1475
Event
Louis XI and the peace bell
Associated with prayer for peace, the Angelus bell is formally commended by Louis XI of France in 1475 for that special object.
Reformation
c. 1500 – 1650
1550
Event
Morning, noon, and evening
By the sixteenth century the Angelus is rung and prayed three times each day — morning, noon, and evening — throughout the Latin Church.
363 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Modern
1900 – 1953
1913
A.D.
Modern · 1953 →
The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.