A standard five decade rosary has fifty nine beads. Fifty of them are Hail Mary beads, arranged in five decades of ten. The remaining nine are the Our Father beads that begin each decade and the opening prayers, the set of three beads near the crucifix, and the single bead just above the crucifix. Above the loop sits a centerpiece medal, and below the tail hangs the crucifix itself. Together these fifty nine beads carry one full rosary of fifty three Hail Marys and six Our Fathers. That is the short answer.
Below is the full breakdown bead by bead, what a decade is, how many of each prayer you say, and how the count changes for a single decade rosary, a rosary bracelet, and the various chaplets. The numbers are exact, so you can count along on your own rosary as you read.
The full bead count, part by part
The fifty nine beads of a rosary are not all the same. They are grouped on purpose, and each group has a job. Here is every part and how many beads it holds.
| Part of the rosary | Number of beads | Prayer it carries |
|---|---|---|
| Single bead above the crucifix | 1 | The Our Father |
| Set of three beads | 3 | Three Hail Marys |
| The five Our Father beads | 5 | One Our Father before each decade |
| The five decades | 50 | Ten Hail Marys in each decade |
| Total beads | 59 | One full rosary |
Add it up and you reach fifty nine. The crucifix and the centerpiece medal are not counted as beads, though they are part of the rosary too. The crucifix opens and closes the prayer, and the medal joins the loop of decades to the short tail.
What a decade is
A decade is the building block of the rosary. The word simply means a group of ten, and in the rosary it means ten Hail Mary beads strung together in a row.
Before each decade you pray one Our Father on a single larger bead, then ten Hail Marys on the ten smaller beads, and you finish with a Glory Be before moving on. A standard rosary holds five decades, which is why you may hear it called a five decade rosary.
So when people ask how many decades are in a rosary, the answer is five. Each decade lets you meditate on one Mystery from the life of Christ while your fingers keep the count. If you want to see how the decades flow in actual prayer, our guide on how to pray the rosary step by step walks through every bead.
How many Hail Marys and Our Fathers you pray
The bead count and the prayer count are not the same number, and that surprises people. You pray more Hail Marys than there are Hail Mary beads, because you reuse the same three opening beads at the start.
In one full rosary you pray fifty three Hail Marys. Fifty come from the five decades of ten, and three more come from the set of three beads near the crucifix at the very beginning.
You also pray six Our Fathers. One on the single bead above the crucifix, then one more at the start of each of the five decades. Add a Glory Be at the end of each decade, the Apostles' Creed at the start, and the Hail Holy Queen at the close, and you have the whole prayer.
How the count changes for other rosaries
Not every rosary has fifty nine beads. The number depends on what you are praying.
- Single decade rosary. Also called a one decade rosary or a pocket rosary, this holds eleven beads. Ten for the Hail Marys of one decade, and one Our Father bead, with a crucifix on the end. It is made for praying one decade at a time.
- Rosary bracelet. Most rosary bracelets hold ten or eleven beads, the equivalent of a single decade worn on the wrist. Some Catholic styles use a different count, but ten Hail Mary beads is the common one.
- Chaplets. A chaplet is a shorter devotion with its own bead count. The Divine Mercy Chaplet uses a regular rosary, but other chaplets, such as those to a particular saint, may have seven, nine, or another number of beads.
- Seven decade rosary. The Franciscan Crown, prayed in some Christian traditions, holds seventy two Hail Mary beads across seven decades. It is the exception that proves how standard the five decade rosary is.
Why a rosary has fifty nine beads
The structure is not random. It grew over more than eight hundred years into a shape that helps the mind pray without losing count.
The fifty Hail Mary beads echo an old tradition of praying one hundred fifty Psalms. Three rosaries of fifty came to stand in for the full Psalter, so that anyone, even those who could not read, could pray the whole counted devotion on a string of beads.
The opening beads, the single bead and the set of three, prepare the heart with prayers for faith, hope, and love before the decades begin. Every bead has a meaning, and if you would like to go deeper, see our guide to what the rosary beads mean.
A rosary carved by hand in Bethlehem
For more than twenty five years, the Christian families of Bethlehem have carved rosaries by hand from the olive wood that grows in the hills around the town where Christ was born. Each of the fifty nine beads is shaped, smoothed, and strung in the Holy Land itself, then carried to Christian homes across America.
To hold an olive wood rosary from Bethlehem while you count its beads is to keep your hands on the very land of the Gospel. You can see the rosaries our artisans carve in our olive wood rosary collection.
Frequently asked questions
How many beads are on a rosary?
A standard rosary has fifty nine beads. Fifty are Hail Mary beads in five decades of ten, and the other nine carry the opening prayers, the set of three beads, the single bead above the crucifix, and the Our Father bead before each decade.
How many decades are in a rosary?
A standard rosary has five decades. Each decade is ten Hail Mary beads, prayed after one Our Father and finished with a Glory Be. A single decade rosary holds just one of these groups.
How many Hail Marys are in a rosary?
You pray fifty three Hail Marys in one full rosary. Fifty come from the five decades of ten, and three more from the set of beads near the crucifix at the start.
How many Our Fathers are in a rosary?
You pray six Our Fathers in a full rosary. One on the single bead above the crucifix, and one at the start of each of the five decades.
How many beads are on a rosary bracelet?
Most rosary bracelets have ten or eleven beads, the same as a single decade worn on the wrist. Ten beads hold the Hail Marys, and an extra bead may mark the Our Father.
Why does a rosary have fifty nine beads?
The fifty Hail Mary beads recall an old tradition of praying the Psalms, three rosaries standing in for one hundred fifty Psalms. The other nine beads carry the opening prayers and the Our Father before each decade, so the whole devotion fits on one string.
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