A ''libellus precum'' (literally "booklet of prayings, booklet of petitions", plural: ''libelli precum'') is a medieval collection of

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

s, a prayerbook, in the

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...

form, although the term is applied by scholars to texts of some other types. The beginning of the scholarship recognizing them as a distinct type of literature is attributed to

André Wilmart Dom André Wilmart O.S.B. (1876 – 21 April 1941 Paris) was a French Benedictine medievalist and liturgist, who spent most of his career at St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough. He was a leading expert on medieval spirituality in the decades be ...

. Susan Boynton, " LIBELLI PRECUM IN THE CENTRAL MIDDLE AGES", In: ''A History of Prayer'', pp. 255–318, *A review of literature on ''libelli precum''; includes influential references The ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages'' says they are coming mainly from the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic lands.''Libelli precum'', In: ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages'', 2005, Typically ''libelli precum'' are unique texts, varying in prayers collected. The texts of prayers may be or may not be unique. Notable examples include

Ælfwine's Prayerbook This is an incomplete list of some of the manuscripts from the Cotton library that today form the Cotton collection of the British Library. Some manuscripts were destroyed or damaged in a fire at Ashburnham House in 1731, and a few are kept in ot ...

, ''folia Gertudiana'', the prayerbook of Princess

Gertrude of Poland Gertrude-Olisava (c. 1025 – 4 January 1108), princess of Poland, was the daughter of King Mieszko II of Poland and Queen Richeza of Lotharingia, and the great-granddaughter of German Emperor Otto II. Early life The exact time and place of Ger ...

included into the

Egbert Psalter The Egbert Psalter (also known as the Gertrude Psalter or Trier Psalter) is a medieval illuminated manuscript Psalter preserved in the municipal museum of Cividale, Italy (Ms. CXXXVI). The psalter is an example of the illuminated manuscripts assoc ...

Usage as text titles

There are several historical texts referred to by the title ''Libellus Precum'' (in both meanings): *''Libellus precum ad Imperatores'', a petition to the civil authority by two Luciferian clergy called

Faustinus Faustinus was a 3rd-century CE political figure who launched a rebellion against the Gallic Emperor Tetricus I. His full name and his year of birth are unknown. According to a small number of literary sources (Aurelius Victor, Eutropius,Eutropius ...

and Shahan, Thomas. "Pope St. Damasus I." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 29 Sept. 2017 *

John of Fécamp John of Fécamp, (early 11th century - 22 February 1079) was an Italian-Norman Benedictine who was the most widely read of early medieval spiritual writers before the Imitation of Christ became popular (published circa 1418–1427), during a perio ...

's ''Libellus precum'' *''Libellus precum'' by

Bede Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...

References

Prayer books Medieval manuscripts {{manuscript-art-stub