It is Latin for “Hail, Mary,” and is a common Catholic prayer to her.
It is based on the words of the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:28: “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee” and the words of Mary’s relative Elizabeth in Luke 1:42: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (KJV).
The Ave Maria has been set to music countless times and is extremely popular at weddings. Franz Schubert’s version may be the most loved.