Bogurodzica, in English known as the Mother of God, is a medieval Roman Catholic hymn composed sometime between the 10th and 13th centuries in Poland. It is believed to be the oldest religious hymn or patriotic anthem in the Polish language, which was traditionally sung in Old Polish with the Greek phrase Kyrie eleison – "Lord, have mercy". While its origin is not entirely clear, several scholars agree that Saint Adalbert of Prague is the likely author. Polish knights chanted Bogurodzica prior to their engagement at the Battle of Grunwald and it also accompanied the coronation ceremonies of the first Jagiellonian kings.
Bogurodzica manuscript (1407)
Bogurodzica (1506)
Bogurodzica, by Józef Brandt (1909)
Theotokos is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are Dei Genitrix or Deipara. Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-bearer" – but these both have different literal equivalents in Greek, Μήτηρ Θεοῦ and Θεοφόρος.
Mother of God of Kazan
An 18th-century Russian chart of the various types of Bogoroditsa (birth-giver of God) icons
Byzantine mosaic of the enthroned Theotokos, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, ca. AD 560
Salus Populi Romani, Rome (5th or 6th century)