The Seven Principal Angels

The Seven Principal Angels: The Only Church-Approved Prayers Invoking the Seven Angelic Princes by Name (1555) is a remarkable tract containing prayers to seven named angels, translated by Robert Nixon.

The practice of invoking angels dates back at least to the nascent Church, when it articulated naturally with traditions from both the Jewish and Hellenistic worlds, and continued, though condemned by the Church, in Europe throughout the medieval period until it resurfaced in the early Renaissaince in a dramatic manner, thanks to the devotion of Antonio del Duca (1491-1564), who discovered an icon in a small abandoned church which clearly displayed the names of seven angels—Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Sealtiel, Jehudiel, and Barachiel.

In 1555 del Duca, with official ecclesial approval, published a short collection of prayers addressing each of these seven angels despite the Catholic Church’s long-standing prohibition of invoking angels by name (with the three exceptions of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael). This remarkable tract is translated here by Robert Nixon, and includes the striking images found in the 1594 Naples edition. These are, as far as has been discovered, the only prayers to the seven principal angels invoking each of them by name which have ever been given the official approval of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Seven Principal Angels: The Only Church-Approved Prayers Invoking the Seven Angelic Princes by Name (1555)
Antonio de Duca
Trans. by Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB.
A Guide to the Underworld.
ISBN 978-1-915933-35-5
20 pages.