Domine, salvum fac regem (Lord, save the King) is a motet which was sung as a de facto royal anthem in France during the Ancien Régime.
History The text is taken from the Vulgate translation of Psalm 19, and while its use already existed in medieval France, the motet was composed by Jean Mouton for the coronation of King Francis I in 1515. It was put to music as a grand motet by Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marin Marais, François Couperin, Henry Desmarest, Michel-Richard Delalande, Louis-Nicolas Clérambault and was made customary at the end of every Mass at the Chapel of Versailles. Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed 25 Domine salvum fac regem (H.281 to H.305).
The prayer had a presence in England during the Jacobite Risings, being documented in 1740 using the wording Domine salvum fac regem nostrum Jacobum. The Jacobite wording may have been penned by John Francis Wade, an English Catholic. Society of St Bede, Domine Salvum fac, accessed on 10 August 2026
Following the conquest of Canada, the Catholic population began to sing the prayer for the British monarch, and from there it spread to Catholics in England where it was sung at the end of the principal Mass on Sunday until the liturgical reforms of 1969 (a custom still followed in communities that celebrate the Tridentine Mass). During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the wording used was Domine, salvam fac reginam nostram Elisabeth.Choral Public Domain Library, Domine salvam fac (Simon Biazeck), accessed 13 September 2022 The prayer was authorised for use in churches in England and Wales to mark the Queen's platinum jubilee on 4-5 June 2022.Liturgy Office [of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales], The Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, accessed on 24 April 2026
Lyrics The original lyrics were written in Latin.
See also "God Save the King", one of the songs inspired by the anthem. "The Prayer of Russians", for an anthem-prayer for the Tsar of Russia. "Heil dir im Siegerkranz", anthem used for the Kaiser of the German Empire.
References
External links A video of the royal anthem Another rendition of the royal anthem