Introduction
Book of Hours: "Crucifixion," folio D1.
Books of Hours offered lay people a way to imbue their daily lives with religious significance. They enabled the laity to read and recite prayers throughout the day, celebrate feast days, and find spiritual guidance for a variety of concerns.
These incredibly significant religious texts were read at home or taken to church where practitioners could follow along in the Mass; thus, they formed an integral part of a medieval Christian's daily religious practice. Indeed, they were the most widely produced manuscripts during the medieval period and the centuries that immediately followed—they even out-sold the Bible during this time period.
This particular book of hours, produced by Parisian printer Germain Hardouyn in the sixteenth century, is a lovely example of a printed prayer book that was also lavishly illustrated. During the period in which this book was used, it served as a luxury item that was still accessible and affordable for Christians of many social classes.