Medieval prayer books were both valuable devotional aids and luxurious status symbols. They came in different forms: psalters contained the 150 biblical psalms that formed the basis of daily prayer. Breviaries contained the complete programme of prayers for the year that had to be said by the clergy and members of religious orders. Books of Hours offered lay people abridged versions of the Liturgy of the Hours, which were dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Passion and the Cross of Christ, the Holy Ghost and the dead. They also included excerpts from the Gospels and prayers for special intentions, tailored to the wishes of the owners.
The shimmering gold and precious images of illuminated prayer books lent a special splendour to daily devotions in the Middle Ages.
