Books of Hours

A book of hours, which was first called as such in the fourteenth century because its reader had to use it seven times a day during the canonical hours, is a liturgical book used by lay people. It in general opens up to a calendar whose every month occupies a page illustrated by a scene which evokes a human activity characteristic of the month. It includes the lunar cycle, the solstices and equinoxes, but also prayers celebrating the key events in the life of Christ, the Virgin, the saints and the religious festivals. Whilst each book of hours is unique, every one nonetheless contains a collection of texts, prayers and psalms with corresponding illustrations and constitutes a basic anthology for practicing the Catholic religion.