What are the Different Types of Rosaries?
What are the Different Types of Rosaries?
We compared the types of rosaries in four ways.
- NUMBER OF BEADS: 59 (full rosary), 10 or 11 (pocket, car rosary), 225 (20-decade rosary)
- PRAYERS: The prayers are either for a full rosary, or part of one (as in a pocket rosary).
- CONSTRUCTION: Cord, Paracord, Classic Links with Chain, Wire Wrapped, and Cage Wrapped.
- JEWELLERY: Rosary Bracelet, Rosary Necklace, Rosary Ring.
Types of Rosaries We Make
What are the Different Types of Rosaries?
Origins
With its roots in the 13th Century, the Rosary is one of the simplest yet most popular prayers in the Catholic Church. Yet what are the different types of Rosaries?
How Many Beads?
There are different types of Rosaries.
- Full Rosary: 59 beads (5 decades)
- Pocket, Car Rosary: 10 or 11 beads (1 decade)
- 20-decade: 225 beads (20 decades)
A Wall Rosary has a classic design with large beads. Rosary bracelets or necklaces have a decade or the beads of a full Rosary. Click to shop for rosaries.
Rosaries and Chaplets
The rosary beads can either be enough for a full rosary or part of one. Some sets of beads, like The Seven Sorrows Rosary, are actually chaplets. The prayers differ from that of a rosary and sometimes the bead layouts are also different. Click to read more about the difference between rosaries and chaplets.
Cord and Paracord Rosaries
The beads of these rosaries are strung on a length of cord or Paracord. The Hail Mary beads slide along the cord during prayer, while the Our Father beads are stationary. Click to see our cord rosaries.
Classic-Linked with Wire & Chain
Loops of either nickel silver or gold-tone wire hold the beads in place. Wire and chain rosaries with looped links are the most well-known type of rosary construction. Click to see our rosaries with classic links.
Wire-Wrapped Rosaries
Although fairly recent to rosary-making, wire-wrapping is a skill dating back to the 11th Century B.C. The wire is bent several times to make stacked piles of rings on either side of the beads. Some call it heirloom construction because of its sturdiness. Click to see our wire-wrapped rosaries.
Rosary Jewellery
Rosary beads are also available as jewellery. Rosary necklaces, rosary bracelets, and rosary rings provide other ways to carry and pray a rosary.
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CREDITS
The LOGO image of Our Lady of Grace is original artwork by Martin Lariviere in 2009. We have the artist’s permission (my son). It is our exclusive trademark logo image.
A beautifully photographed sky by Donald Tong inspired the website’s colour scheme. Cropped portions of it are the background for the footer Bible verse. He shared it as a free download on pexels.com.
Raphael painted The Sistine Madonna circa (1513-1514). We made circular cut-outs from the original image.
Circa 1596 to 1598, Guido Reni painted Madonna del Rosario con san Domenico.
Our information is from general knowledge, experience, and shared internet resources. We’d like you to use it as a starting point for your research to verify facts and build a reference list.
IN REVIEW
There are four ways to compare the types of rosaries:
- BEADS: A full rosary has 59 beads, a 20-decade rosary has 225 beads, and a pocket or car rosary has 11 beads.
- PRAYERS: Some, like The Seven Sorrows Rosary, are a misnomer. They are chaplets because the prayers and layout differ from that of a rosary.
- CONSTRUCTION: Comparing the materials, there are cord, classic-linked, and wire-wrapped rosaries.
- JEWELRY: rosary bracelets, rosary necklaces, and rosary rings