Angelus

/ˈændʒələs/ noun

Definition

A Catholic prayer said three times daily, or the bell rung to mark these prayer times.

Etymology

From Latin 'Angelus' (the angel), referring to the beginning of the prayer 'Angelus Domini' (Angel of the Lord). The prayer commemorates the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel visited Mary.

Kelly Says

Millet's 1859 painting 'The Angelus' shows peasants pausing in their fields to pray when the bell rings, and the image became so iconic that many people assumed the painting depicted something magical—when really it was just the everyday interruption of the angelus bell ringing across European villages.

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