This is the 3558th most frequent German word.
maria
In German, "Maria" is a feminine given name equivalent to "Mary" in English.
Here, 'Maria' is used as the proper noun indicating the subject of the sentence, the person who performs the action of reading.
Maria liest jeden Abend ein Buch.
Maria reads a book every evening.
In this sentence, 'Maria' again acts as a proper noun, signifying the owner of the necklace mentioned.
Das ist die Kette, die Maria verloren hat.
This is the necklace that Maria lost.
Here, 'Maria' is the direct object of the action 'visit,' indicating the person receiving the action in the sentence.