 Spence D. of IGN Music praised "Ave Maria", writing that it shows Knowles in "crystal clear form" due to the mellow accompaniment that highlighted her "often captivating" voice. Darryl Sterdan, writing for the Canadian website Jam!, noted that Knowles "draws on the classic composition for this sweeping number" and echoes a similar line to John Lennon's quote: "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Talia Kraines of BBC Online called the song "very strange, but wonderful". In his consumer guide, Robert Christgau wrote, "But me, I 'm a hater, and thus I'm something like outraged, by not just those two pimp-outs but an 'Ave Maria' lacking even the dumbstruck literalism of Pink's rendition or the grotesque conversion of' Umbrella 'into' Halo. '" Bernard Zuel of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the song was "pompous and frankly embarrassing". Colin McGuire of PopMatters commented that "Ave Maria" is a "pretty normal take, a piece that has simply been done too many times before to think [Knowles] would even have a shot at putting her stamp on it." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the song as "dreary". According to James Reed of The Boston Globe, the song is "an intriguing proposition torpedoed by a soggy arrangement". Adam Mazmanian of The Washington Times gave a negative review for the song, writing that the high notes included on "Ave Maria", "should have remained a secret between Beyonce and her producers". In 2013, John Boone and Jennifer Cady of E! Online placed the song at number ten on their list of ten best Knowles' songs. They further added, "The new classic kicks off with the plucking off some light strings and you know by the end you 'll be singing through tears."
