Inno e Marcia Pontificale

Inno e Marcia Pontificale
Alternative title	O Felix Roma ("Oh Happy Rome") Roma immortale ("Immortal Rome") Roma alma parens ("Protective Mother Rome")
Title in German	Hymn and pontifical march
country	Vatican city
Usage period	1950 - today
text	Evaristo d'Anversa ( lat. ) Antonio Allegra ( ital. )
melody	Charles Gounod
Audio files

Inno e Marcia Pontificale ("Hymn and Pontifical March") was raised  to the national anthem of the Vatican City in 1950 - on the occasion of the Holy Year . Inno was officially intoned as an anthem already on 24 December 1949. It replaced the old anthem of the Papal States by Vittorino Hallmayr, the Gran Marcia Trionfale from the year 1857th

However, the Inno e Marcia Pontificale is not a national anthem in the strict sense, but rather, in its Latin version, more of a hymn to the sovereign - the Pope in the Vatican City State . So it is not a national anthem, but a princely anthem, similar to the earlier Imperial Austrian national anthem .

The Latin text comes from Evaristo d'Anversa, the Italian from Antonio Allegra (1905–1969). The melody was composed by Charles Gounod (1818-1893). The latter was already on April 11, 1869 in the presence of Pope Pius IX. voiced for the first time, but could not replace the Hallmayr anthem for 81 years.

In 1993 a Latin version was first performed publicly under the title O Felix Roma . While the text of the Roma alma parens and the Italian version Roma immortale are largely identical, O Felix Roma is a completely new version that focuses on the Pope as head of the church. On October 16, 1993 O Felix Roma was performed publicly for the first time by the orchestra of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of John Paul II's inauguration.

Hymn and pontifical march

Italian version: Roma immortale

anthem

Roma immortale di Martiri e di Santi,
Roma immortale accogli i nostri canti:
Gloria nei cieli a Dio nostro Signore,
Pace ai Fedeli di Cristo nell'amore.
A Te veniamo, Angelico Pastore,
In Te vediamo il mite Redentore,
Erede Santo di vera e Santa Fede;
Conforto e vanto a chi combatte e crede,
Non prevarranno la forza ed il terrore,
Ma regneranno la Verità, l'Amore.

Pontifical March

Salve, Salve Roma, patria eterna di memorie,
Cantano le tue glorie mille palme e mille altari.
Roma degli apostoli, Madre e guida dei Rendenti,
Roma luce delle genti, il mondo spera in te!
Salve, Salve Roma, la tua luce non tramonta,
Vince l'odio e l'onta lo splendor di tua beltà.
Roma degli Apostoli, Madre e guida dei Redenti,
Roma luce delle genti, il mondo spera in te!

Latin version: Roma alma parens

Roma, alma parens, Sanctorum Martyrumque,
Nobile carmen, te decete, sonorumque,
Gloria in excelsis, paternæ maiestati
Pax et in terra fraternæ caritati
Ad te clamamus, Angelicum pastorem:
Quam vere refers, Tu mitem Redemptorem!
Magister Sanctum, custodis dogma Christi,
Quod unun vitæ, solamen datur isti.
Non prævalebunt horrendæ portæ infernæ,
Sed vis amoris veritatisque æternæ.

Volley, Roma! In te æterna stat historia,
Inclyta, fulgent gloria monumenta tot et aræ.
Roma Petri et Pauli, cunctis mater tu redemptis,
Lúmen cunctæ in facie gentis mundique sola spes!
Volley, Roma! Cuius lux occasum nescit,
Splendet, incandescit, et iniquo oppilat os.
Father Beatissime, annos Petri attinge, excede
Unum, quæsumus, concede: Tu nobis benedic.

Translation of the Italian version

anthem

Immortal Rome of martyrs and saints,
Immortal Rome, receive our chants:
Glory in the heavens, God our Lord,
peace in love to the believers of Christ.
To you we go, you angelic shepherd,
in you we see the Savior sent to us,
you holy heir of true and holy faith,
refuge and protection of those who fight and believe.
Violence and terror will not prevail,
but truth and love will prevail.

Pontifical March

Hail, Rome, eternal fatherland of memory,
A thousand palms and a thousand altars sing your glory.
Rome of the apostles, mother and leader of the redeemed,
Rome, you light of the peoples, the world hopes for you!
Greetings Rome, your light will not go out.
The splendor of your beauty overcomes hatred and shame.
Rome of the apostles, mother and leader of the redeemed,
Rome, you light of the peoples, the world hopes for you!

O Felix Roma

The Latin text O Felix Roma comes from Raffaello Lavagna (1918–2015) and is to be sung to the same melody as the Italian version, but with four voices.

Text of the hymn

Chorus

O felix Roma - o Roma nobilis:
Sedes es Petri, qui Romae effudit sanguinem,
Petri cui claves datae
sunt regni caelorum.

Pontifex, Tu successor es Petri;
Pontifex, Tu magister es tuos confirmans fratres;
Pontifex, Tu qui Servus servorum Dei ,
hominumque piscator, pastor es gregis,
ligans caelum et terram.

Pontifex, Tu Christi es Vicarius super terram,
rupes inter fluctus, Tu es pharus in tenebris;
Tu pacis es vindex, Tu es unitatis custos,
vigil libertatis defensor; in Te potestas.

Vox acuta, vox altera ab acuta

Tu Pontifex, firma es petra, et super petram
hanc aedificata est Ecclesia Dei.

Vox media, vox gravis

Pontifex, Tu Christi es Vicarius super terram,
rupes inter fluctus, Tu es pharus in tenebris;
Tu pacis es vindex, Tu es unitatis custos,
vigil libertatis defensor; in Te potestas.

Chorus

O felix Roma - O Roma nobilis.

translation

Choir

O happy Rome, oh noble Rome,
you are the seat of Peter , who shed his blood in Rome,
Of Peter, to whom were given the keys to
the heavenly kingdom.

You, Pope, are the successor of Peter ,
you, Pope, are the master and the support of your brothers,
you, Pope, are servants of God's servants,
and fishermen of men, shepherd of your flock,
link between heaven and earth.

You, Pope, are Christ's representative on earth,
solid as a rock, lighthouse in the dark,
you are protector of peace, you are the guardian of unity,
vigilant defender of freedom; Yours is the dominion.

Soprano and alto

You, Pope, are the solid rock; and on this rock
is God's church built.

Tenor and bass

You, Pope, are Christ's representative on earth,
solid as a rock, lighthouse in the dark,
you are protector of peace, you are the guardian of unity,
vigilant defender of freedom; Yours is the dominion.

Choir

O happy Rome, oh noble Rome.

See also

• List of national anthems

Web links

Official website of the Vatican State

• Information on the national anthem with music as a WMA file
• On the history of the anthem
• Detailed history of the hymn (Italian)
• Scores (Italian)

music

• Pope's hymn on YouTube
• Pope's hymn as MIDI

Remarks

1. ↑ In order to venture an explanatory comparison with a view to the USA, the Inno is better to be compared with the US presidential anthem Hail to the Chief than with the actual national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner .