Breviary

Breviary is a liturgical book used in the Latin liturgical tradition to recite the Divine Office, a set of daily prayers marking the hours of the day and sanctifying the day with scripture, psalms, hymns, and readings. The breviary assembles the texts for the official daily cycle and is designed for use by clergy and religious, though laypeople may also use it.

Historically, breviaries developed in early medieval monastic communities as officers assigned to recite the office. Over centuries the forms multiplied, and in 1568 Pope Pius V issued the Roman Breviary, standardizing the office for the Roman Rite. In the 20th century reforms, the Second Vatican Council led to the 1971 reworking of the office as the Liturgy of the Hours; the breviary remains the bound book containing the text of the divided day, but many editions today are titled Liturgy of the Hours or Christian Prayer in English.

Structure: Traditionally the office included Matins (composed largely of psalms and readings), Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline. In modern usage, Prime is often omitted, and the user recites Morning Prayer (Matins and Lauds), Daytime Prayer (Terce, Sext, None), Evening Prayer (Vespers), and Night Prayer (Compline).

The book includes the psalter, readings from Scripture and the Fathers, antiphons, hymns, canticles, intercessions, and the oration for the day, all arranged according to a calendar with feast days and saints’ days. Breviaries are produced in Latin and vernacular languages, and in various rites (Latin/Roman, Benedictine, etc.). They remain a central resource for the practice of liturgical prayer in traditional and contemporary contexts.