Which Christmas carol is famously sung in Latin as 'Adeste Fideles'?

The Christmas carol famously sung in Latin as “Adeste Fideles” is “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” The Latin title means “Come, faithful ones,” and the hymn’s familiar refrain is “Venite adoremus,” or “O come, let us adore Him.”

The earliest known printed version appeared in 1751 in a collection by John Francis Wade, an English Catholic copyist living in France. Its authorship is not completely settled: Wade, John Reading, King John IV of Portugal, and anonymous Cistercian monks have all been proposed. Wade is the name most closely associated with the early printed music.

The English version became widely known through Frederick Oakeley’s translation, first published in the 19th century. It is sometimes confused with other Latin Christmas hymns, but “Adeste Fideles” is the original title of this specific carol. The tune and text have also accumulated later verses and many arrangements, including the famous choral setting by David Willcocks.