Myth has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Dominic during the 15th century, giving him the rosary and telling him to teach people the meditations of Mary and Jesus in order to rid France of the heresy taking place. Whether or not an apparition actually appeared, it is generally accepted that St. Dominic was responsible at least in part for the spread of what became the modern rosary throughout Europe.

The form of the rosary as known today was developed in Carthusian monasteries in the 14th and 15th centuries. The term “rosary” (Lat. rosarium) dates back much further, to ancient Rome and the “rosalia” celebration, a Spring festival commemorating the dead. The symbolism of the rose also has a long history in the Christian tradition. In the Catholic church the rose became a symbol for Mary, and to her the rosary is dedicated.

During the late 15th century the prayers associated with the rosary were changed and the rosary was divided into 15 decades. It was Pope Sixtus IV that first wrote of praying an Our Father after each set of ten Hail Maries. By the beginning of the 16th century The Mysteries, depicting the life of Christ as written in the Gospels, were added to the prayers and were called the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious. Just as illiterate people in earlier centuries could recite the Psalms, now they could know the stories in the Bible.