Ave verum corpus is a Eucharistic hymn dating from the 14th century attributed to Pope Innocent VI (d. 1362). This version by Mozart was completed in June 1791, six months before his death. Sung at the elevation of the host during the consecration. The hymn's title means "Hail, true body", and is based on a poem deriving from a 14th-century manuscript from the Abbey of Reichenau, Lake Constance. The poem is a meditation on the Catholic belief in Jesus' Real Presence in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and ties it to ideas on the redemptive meaning of suffering in the life of all believers. The text in Latin reads: Ave verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine, vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine, cuius latus perforatum unda fluxit et sanguine, esto nobis praegustatum in mortis examine. In English: Hail the true body, Born of the Virgin Mary, Truly suffered, sacrificed On the Cross for mankind, Whose pierced side Flowed with water and blood, Let it be for us, in consideration, A foretaste of death.
