![]() By the 12th century this had developed into the breviary, with weekly cycles of psalms, prayers, hymns, antiphons, and readings which changed with the liturgical season. The book of hours has its ultimate origin in the Psalter, which monks and nuns were required to recite. Even this level of decoration is richer than those of most books, though less than the lavish amounts of illumination in luxury books, which are the ones most often seen reproduced. Made in the 2nd half of the fifteenth century in Brabant. History Example of a more affordable and thus more common book of hours: Excerpt from a "simple" Middle Dutch book of hours. Such books of hours continue to be used by many Christians today, such as the Catholic “Key of Heaven” prayer books, the Agpeya of Coptic Christianity or The Brotherhood Prayer Book of Lutheranism. The Marian prayers Obsecro te ("I beseech thee") and O Intemerata ("O undefiled one") were frequently added, as were devotions for use at Mass, and meditations on the Passion of Christ, among other optional texts. Most 15th-century books of hours have these basic contents. Reciting the hours typically centered upon the reading of a number of psalms and other prayers.Ī typical book of hours contains the Calendar of Church feasts, extracts from the Four Gospels, the Mass readings for major feasts, the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the fifteen Psalms of Degrees, the seven Penitential Psalms, a Litany of Saints, an Office for the Dead and the Hours of the Cross. It was developed for lay people who wished to incorporate elements of monasticism into their devotional life. The typical book of hours is an abbreviated form of the breviary, which contains the Divine Office recited in monasteries. Tens of thousands of books of hours have survived to the present day, in libraries and private collections throughout the world. ![]() The closely related primer is occasionally considered synonymous with books of hours–a medieval horae was referred to as a primer in Middle English –but their contents and purposes could deviate significantly from the simple recitation of the canonical hours. : 46īooks of hours were usually written in Latin (they were largely known by the name horae until "book of hours" was relatively recently applied to them), although there are many entirely or partially written in vernacular European languages, especially Dutch. These illustrations would combine picturesque scenes of country life with sacred images. Illumination or decoration is minimal in many examples, often restricted to decorated capital letters at the start of psalms and other prayers, but books made for wealthy patrons may be extremely lavish, with full-page miniatures. Like every manuscript, each manuscript book of hours is unique in one way or another, but most contain a similar collection of texts, prayers and psalms, often with appropriate decorations, for Christian devotion. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscript. Bequeathed to the Society in 1769 by the Revd Charles Lyttleton, Bishop of Carlisle and President of the Society (1765-8).īooks of hours ( Latin: horae) are Christian prayer books which were used to pray the canonical hours. An early 15th-century French book of hours ( MS13, Society of Antiquaries of London) open to an illustration of the 'Adoration of the Magi'. Opposite is the start of Matins in the Little Office, illustrated by the Annunciation to Joachim, as the start of a long cycle of the Life of the Virgin. 1440, with Catherine kneeling before the Virgin and Child, surrounded by her family heraldry. Opening from the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, c. ![]() For the closely related devotional and educational text, see Primer (prayer book). For the book by Rainer Maria Rilke, see The Book of Hours. For the prayers said at certain times of the day in various Christian denominations, see Canonical hours.
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