A breviary (from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'concise') is a liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use.
Before the rise of the mendicant orders (wandering friars) in the thirteenth century, the daily services were usually contained in a number of large volumes. The first occurrence of a single manuscript of the daily office was written by the Benedictine order at Monte Cassino in Italy in 1099. Mendicant friars travelled around a lot and needed a shortened, or abbreviated, daily office contained in one portable book, and single-volume breviaries flourished from the thirteenth century onwards.
Before the advent of printing, breviaries were written by hand and were often richly decorated with initials and miniature illustrations telling stories in the lives of Christ or the saints, or stories from the Bible.
Summary of illuminated manuscripts (miniatures) |
Late Antique and Pre-Romanesque periods |
351-400 | 401-450 | 451-500 | 501-550 | 551-600 | 601-650 | 651-700 |
701-750 | 751-800 | 801-850 | 851-900 | 901-950 | 951-1000 |
Romanesque period |
1001-1050 | 1051-1100 | 1101-1150 |
Early and High Gothic periods |
1151-1200 | 1201-1250 | 1251-1300 |
Late Gothic and Renaissance periods |
1301-1350 | 1351-1400 | 1401-1450 | 1451-1500 | 1501-1550 |
Book covers |
Illuminations by known masters |
List of illuminators |