A book of hours is an illuminated, Christian devotional book that was popular among the Christians of Northern Europe during the Middle Ages.
A typical book of hours contains:
- A calendar of the liturgical year (feast days etc.)
- An excerpt from each of the four canonical gospels
- 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
- The Hours of the Cross
- Various other Christian prayers
Sometimes included are the Marian prayers Obsecro te ("I beseech thee") and O Intemerata ("O undefiled one"), as well as devotions for use at Mass, meditations on the Passion of Christ, and other works.
This book format is an abridgement of the breviary, a liturgical book that contains the Liturgy of the Hours recited in monasteries. The book of hours was developed for lay people who wished to incorporate elements of monasticism into their devotional life. In spiritual practice, a person might read or recite from the prayers or excerpts from Psalms.
Tens of thousands of books of hours survive to the present day. Indeed, most of the extant medieval illuminated manuscripts are books of hours, although many of these have minimal decoration, and no illustrations at all. Some of the books made for wealthy patrons, however, were extremely lavish, boasting brightly-coloured, full-page miniatures.
Books of hours were usually written in Latin (the Latin name for them is horae), although many were written (in whole or in part) in European vernacular, especially Dutch. An English-language book of hours is sometimes called a primer.
Read more about Book Of Hours: History, Decorations, The Luxury Book of Hours, Gallery
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