The Book of Hours / Breviary

The monastic cycle of prayer, divides the day into eight segments, or "hours": Matins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, Compline, and Vespers. The liturgical celebration of these hours includes prayers, meditations and recitations that are recorded in the Breviary for the Clergy and The Book of Hours for the laity.

By the early fifteenth century, the format of the Book of Hours had evolved to meet the demands of private, personal, devotion. These portable books are generally smaller in format than the monastic version (Breviary). However, Monasteries would sometimes have small "pocket sized" editions for use by Monks who were traveling.

The Book of Hours generally begins with a liturgical calendar, listing feast days in chronological order along with a complicated method of calculating the date of Easter and other feast days. The seven Penitential Psalms (Ps.6,32,38,51,102,130,143) are usually included as well, and additional prayers (devoted to particular saints or personal issues) according to the desires and needs of the owner.

These books preserve some of the finest works of medieval art and calligraphy available to collectors today. Each section of the manuscript traditionally begins with and an illuminated miniature that complements the prayers, to stimulate contemplation and meditation in the reader. Because they were expensive and spectacular works of art, the ownership of these manuscripts was limited mainly to royalty, nobility and the very wealthy. They are often adorned with coats of arms, and portraits of patrons may sometimes be found within the miniatures. As their popularity increased, an efficient system of book production and trade developed to match the demand for Books of Hours. Professional scribes produced the texts in one location, the miniatures were painted in artists' workshops, and the two brought together in the bookbinder's hall. Patrons could choose the texts and miniatures they wanted, or purchase complete, generic manuscripts in stationers' bookshops.