"Praise to the Good Christ and Kind Virgin" — Anyone?

Factual Questions
1

According to a history book I read years ago, the title was a hymn sung by the crew, and at least some passengers, of a ship in the Middle Ages when it reached port (and given the state of shipbuilding and navigation then, it probably wasn’t unreasonable to ascribe a safe voyage to divine intervention). But despite numerous search attempts, I’ve never been able to find other evidence that the hymn ever existed. It may be a long shot, even for the Dope, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to toss it out and see if it gets a nibble. As always, thanks in advance.

(This may belong in Cafe Society, though I’m only asking about the existence of the hymn. If so, please move. Thanks.)

2

I found nothing that exactly matches the phrase you gave but some that might be close(ish):

3

The phrase has probably been translated from another language or originally in antiquated English. Do you recall the nationality of the voyagers?

4

Quick mention here: “the crew broke into an unmelodious version of the hymn ‘Praise to the Good Christ and the Kind Virgin’, the traditional seaman’s chant sung all over Europe in thanks for a safe end to a voyage.”

5

Yes. Is it possible that this is the “history” book you remember ?
It appears to have been published in 2008…

6

It also apparently comes up in 1980’s Godric.

7

Curiouser and curiouser.
(Maybe that’s where Bernard Knight got it from)

8

AFAICT, Costain’s “The Pageant Of England” mentions it before that.

9

I certainly didn’t expect this level of response (though this being the Dope, I probably should have). It is much appreciated.

@Whack-a-Mole, I can’t use lyrics or other contents to determine a match since the only two things I know about the hymn are its title and the context in which it was sung. Those are nice, though.

@The_Other_Waldo_Pepper, thank you for confirming, if only in fiction, that there was such a hymn and it wasn’t a fever dream (sometimes I wonder, especially as I move further and further into my dotage). But I think you nailed it in your last: I read a lot of Costain at that time — though mainly his historical fiction — and I’m pretty sure Pageant of England snuck in somewhere along the line.

On the off chance that anyone wonders why this got stuck in my head, for the last ten years or so before I retired I had a commute that made a medieval sea voyage look like a walk in the park. So I got into the habit of saying the hymn title when I got to work* and when I got home.

Again, thanks. And as far as I’m concerned this can now sink into well-deserved oblivion.

* Followed by Joe Gideon’s “It’s showtime, folks!” from All That Jazz