Unlike other religious tattoos, such as those of a Christian cross or an angel, rosary tattoos are viewed quite differently by religious leaders. Being one of the most eloquent signs that represent honor towards Jesus and the Virgin Mary, it wouldn't be a surprise if a church-going elderly gets easily offended because you have inked such a sacred symbol on your body, especially if you've done it on an inappropriate body part, such as above the hips, below the navel? Well, it isn't uncommon for people to have inked this tattoo practically anywhere they felt like, but we feel that when it comes to themes such as this, a sense of respect and honor should be maintained when it comes to the design and the placement. Not that we're asking you to restrict your creativity, in fact, the one thing about the rosary theme is that you can make these tattoos look uber-awesome and maintain the dignity and purity of the theme at the same time. Think about it, with the different types and styles of rosary, the varied meanings associated with it, and some super-cool tattooing techniques, there is no way you can't have a dashing design with a great message to put forth. The following section will not only take you through some great tattoo design ideas, but also help you know a little more behind the history and meaning of a rosary. The rosary has been always associated with the grace and blessings of Mother Mary, therefore, the Catholic Church holds its importance so high. It would interest you to know that it is none other than Saint Dominic who has been accredited for spread of the Rosary. Interestingly, it is believed that it was none other than our Virgin Mother who imparted the concept of Rosary to him in an apparition, in the year 1214. A tattoo with both, our beloved Mother and the rosary is symbolic of Mother Mary's grace, love, and glory. Praying hand tattoos are equally popular when it comes to religious tattoo themes. And yes, a rosary wrapped around the hands is something you would see in every other design. Did you know that the painting of 'The Praying Hands' was made by the German painter Albrecht Dürer,and that the hands are believed to be none other than his brother's, who sacrificed his aim of becoming an artist himself and toiled all his life so as to support his brother's dreams? Therefore, this tattoo design is symbolic of selfless love, perseverance, sacrifice, humility, and gratitude. A dove is the symbol of peace and harmony, and in Christianity, it represents none other than the Holy Spirit. If viewed as a white bird, it can be symbolic of purity. Flying, on the other hand, implies nothing but freedom. A combination of a white dove and a rosary depicts freedom from sin through prayers, and protection from evil and doom because our freedom takes us not to the wrong paths, but the presence of this sacred symbol guides us to happiness and peace. This tattoo design is our absolute favorite. In the Catholic Church, a rosary is often the means to seek penance and repent for your sins. No, it is not a punishment, but is a powerful way to meditate on the life of Mother Mary and Christ, so that we could redeem our soul and overcome our sinful nature. This tattoo design where the rosary beads are humbly held and meditated upon, represents nothing but penance, repentance, or contrition from sins. The traditional rosary gets a modern touch of art―the 3D effect! A rosary string is carefully designed as per the number of prayers that are chanted during praying, and each and every bead represents a prayer. Inking a rosary on your chest signifies that your prayers are close to your heart, and that you are carrying the grace and mercy of Mary and Jesus with you, and that they are always close to your heart! Pope Benedict XVI says that the Rosary is "one of the most eloquent signs of love that young generation nourish for Jesus and His mother." Not only this, it is believed that the Virgin Mary herself has made 15 promises to those that will honor and pray the rosary daily. This design has been inspired from these 15 promises. Placing the tattoo on the back is symbolic of protection, that our Blessed Mary is always watching our back. The words written denote a few of the 15 promises that Mother Mary gives to the faithful ones. Among the different kinds of rosaries that exist, inking the single decade rosary is idle for placing around the foot or wrist. Unlike the traditional five decade rosary, here there is a single 10-bead loop with a crucifix. Placing the rosary on the foot symbolizes guidance, mercy, and grace in the path that we shall choose to walk on, in our lives. Colors represent the varied forms of joy in our lives, joys, without which it is impossible to be happy. For those who believe, meditating on the rosary prayers and being a part of the life of our Blessed Mother and our Lord Jesus Christ can give us the joys of eternal life. Inking this tattoo on the hands represents that you are holding these attributes not only in your hand, but also carrying them with you always. Miniature rosary tattoos look absolutely adorable! You can either place a single-decade rosary design on your finger, or, make multiple loops for the tattoo to look more intricate. Fingers are used to perform the everyday tasks, pointing towards the right and wrong, getting hold of things that we accept in our lives. Inking rosary on the fingers would represent guidance and wisdom to always point towards the right and lift up the good things in life. The Hail Mary prayer is said after each decade of the rosary is completed while meditating on the rosary. What could be better words than inking a prayer of our Mother's blessings and support in our lives all the way through? A simple-yet-meaningful design indeed! Rose can be symbolic of many things in life, depending upon the color used. While a red rose represents love and devotion, a blue rose is symbolic of death. The combination of a rose with rosary may be a loving tattoo for our Lord and our Mother, or perhaps a memorial tattoo for the loss of a dear one. Another point to be noted is that the word 'rosary' itself is derived from the Latin word "rosarium" which means 'rose garden'. You would be surprised to know that traditionally, rose petals were used to make rosary beads. Therefore, the combination of rose and a rosary makes quite a meaningful design for sure! An alternate way of representing the beads in the rosary is to make them floral. For instance, in the tattoo shown above, blue flowers that look somewhat like Forget-me-nots are used to represent rosary beads. Interestingly, the forget-me-not flowers are representative of Mother Mary's eyes. The story goes something like this: "Once, child Jesus was sitting on Mother Mary's lap. While looking at her eyes He said that He wished everyone to see her beautiful eyes in the future. He then touched her eyes and then waved His hand over the ground. The minute He did that, the blue forget-me-not flowers appeared". Therefore, blue forget-me-nots represent our Mother's eyes, indicating that she is always watching over us. The Irish Penal Rosary was used during the difficult times, when Ireland had forbidden the practice of following Roman Catholicism. Therefore, believers used this variant of a single-decade rosary, as it could be hidden quite easily without being detected. In relevance to its history, this tattoo design symbolizes fortitude and piousness towards the Catholic faith.. The combination of these three elements―hands, cross, and rosary―makes this tattoo design absolutely phenomenal! If you observe the design carefully, it is the rosary that has united the hands and the cross, as if tied them in an ethereal bond. That is what the rosary does, doesn't it? It makes us come closer to Christ and His life, and in the process, meditate upon our blessed Mother's sacrifices and contributions as well. While the first tattoo that we showed in this list was quite detailed, this tattoo design is a simplified way of combining the presence of our blessed Mother and the strong connection she has with the rosary. The silhouette of her face with a halo made using such beautiful bold strokes, will definitely make this tattoo stand out. And of course, the rosary surrounding it would imply all the things discussed above. The simplicity of this design is what makes it meaningful, as our blessed Mother is also an epitome of simplicity, purity, innocence, and beauty. After going through these wonderful designs, and understanding the actual symbolism of the rosary in a much closer way, we are sure that you can't wait to get this design inked, right? However, make sure that you choose the right tattoo artist for the job, and place the elements in such a way that your tattoo inspires people towards being faithful, and not mock you for disrespecting a symbol held so sacred. All the best!