Book of hours facts for kids
A book of hours is a special kind of prayer book that was very popular in the Middle Ages. It contains prayers, songs from the Bible, and other texts meant to be read at different times of the day. These books helped people, especially nobles and clergy, follow a daily schedule of prayers called the canonical hours. One of the most famous examples is the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry.
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Contents
What is a Book of Hours?
A book of hours is like a personal breviary, which is a book used for daily prayers in the Christian church. These books were designed for people to pray at specific times throughout the day, known as the canonical hours. These hours included prayers for dawn, morning, midday, evening, and night.
What Did They Contain?
Books of hours usually included:
- Prayers to the Virgin Mary, often called the "Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
- Parts of the Book of Psalms from the Bible.
- A calendar that showed important feast days and saints' days.
- Prayers for the dead.
- Other special prayers and readings.
Who Used These Books?
Books of hours were very popular during the Middle Ages, especially from the 13th to the 16th centuries.
- Nobility and Wealthy People: Many rich nobles and royalty owned these books. They were often beautifully decorated and showed off the owner's wealth and importance.
- Clergy: Priests and other church members also used them for their daily prayers.
- Common People: As time went on, simpler and more affordable versions became available, allowing more people to own them for personal devotion.
Why Were They So Popular?
These books allowed people to practice their faith privately, outside of church services. They were personal companions for prayer and reflection. Owning a book of hours was also a sign of education and status, especially if it was richly decorated.
How Were Books of Hours Made?
Most books of hours were created by hand before printing became common.
- Hand-Copied: Scribes would carefully copy the text onto parchment (animal skin).
- Illuminated Manuscripts: Many books of hours are famous for their amazing artwork, called "illuminations" or "miniatures." These were small, detailed paintings that often showed scenes from the Bible, daily life, or portraits of the owners.
- Artists and Workshops: Talented artists and their workshops would spend many hours creating these beautiful illustrations, using bright colors, gold leaf, and intricate designs. The more detailed the artwork, the more expensive and valuable the book was.
Famous Examples
One of the most famous books of hours is the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry. It is known for its incredibly detailed and colorful illustrations that show scenes of medieval life, castles, and religious events.
Images for kids
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Opening from the Hours of Catherine of Cleves, c. 1440, with Catherine kneeling before the Virgin and Child, surrounded by her family heraldry. 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.
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An early 15th-century French book of hours (MS13, Society of Antiquaries of London) open to an illustration of the 'Adoration of the Magi'. Bequeathed to the Society in 1769 by the Revd Charles Lyttleton, Bishop of Carlisle and President of the Society (1765-8).
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Example of a more affordable and thus more common book of hours: Excerpt from a "simple" Middle Dutch book of hours. Made in the 2nd half of the fifteenth century in Brabant.
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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.
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Black Hours, Morgan MS 493, Pentecost, Folios 18v/19r, c. 1475–80. Morgan Library & Museum, New York
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A full-page miniature of May, from a calendar cycle by Simon Bening, early 16th century.
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The lavish illusionistic borders of this Flemish book of hours from the late 1470s are typical of luxury books of this period, which were now often decorated on every page. The butterfly wing cutting into the text area is an example of playing with visual conventions, typical of the period. (Among the plants are the Veronica, Vinca, Viola tricolor, Bellis perennis, and Chelidonium majus. The lower butterfly is Aglais urticae, the top left butterfly is Pieris rapae. The Latin text is a devotion to Saint Christopher).
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Example of a French-Latin book of hours. The miniatures have didactical purposes. Excerpt from the Book of Hours of Alexandre Petau. Made in the 16th century, Rouen.
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The Visconti Hours
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Calendar page from the Hours of Catherine of Cleves for June 1–15.
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Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux: Arrest of Jesus and Annunciation
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Book of hours of Simone de Varie, portrait of the owner and his wife
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Book of Hours, British Library, the Arrest of Christ
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Scenes from the Life of Christ and Life of the Virgin in the same book
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Book of Hours, 1420-1450, Bruges, from the collections of the National Library of Israel
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Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry A Funeral Service
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Bedford Hours; building the Tower of Babel
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Book of Hours of Étienne Chevalier: Deposition by Jean Fouquet
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The Visitation, 1440–45
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Printed Bulgarian book of hours, 1566
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The Golf book c.1540 by Simon Bening in the British Library
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Llanbeblig Hours. St. Peter, holding a key and a book
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The beginning of Ave Maria in historiated letters in Heures de Charles d'Angoulême
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Saint Lifard with a dragon in the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany by Jean Bourdichon
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See also
In Spanish: Libro de horas para niños
