ADESTE, FIDELES. — A delightful rhymed hymn, in which the visit of the shepherds to the newborn Savior is narrated and the faithful are invited to hasten to Bethlehem to adore the Word made flesh under the appearance of a child. It is sung during the Christmas season. It is of Irish origin, from the 17th century, attributed, without any foundation whatsoever, to St. Bonaventure. Some passages would seem to be taken from an older Cistercian gradual (15th or 16th century); and the melody from a Portuguese sailors' song. Abbot de Borderies, exiled in England during the French Revolution, brought its 1st stanza back to France and composed the other three: En grege relicto, Aeterni parentis, and Pro nobis egenum. Having returned to France and been elected bishop of Versailles, he introduced the hymn into the vesperal of his diocese, from where it spread throughout all of France and into many other nations.
Bibliography2 worksJ. Julian, s. v. in Dictionary of Hymnology, 2nd ed., London 1907; A. Molien, La Prière de l'Église, II, Paris 1924, p. 151. Celestino Testo
BIBL.: J. Julian, s. v. in Dictionary of Hymnology, 2nd ed., London 1907; A. Molien, La Prière de l'Église, II, Paris 1924, p. 151.
Testore, Celestino. “Adeste, fideles.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, coll. 304–305. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948. https://azioneromana.com/article/adeste-fideles.
MLA
Testore, Celestino. “Adeste, fideles.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948, coll. 304–305. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/adeste-fideles.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec1_adeste_fideles,
author = {Testore, Celestino},
title = {Adeste, fideles},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {I},
pages = {304--305},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1948},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/adeste-fideles}
}
One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.
Click or scroll to zoom · drag to pan · Esc to close
