L’Office de la Semaine-Sainte

5RR Monsieur L’Abbe de Bellegarde, Paris, 1741. In Latin and French.

Notes

L'Office de la Semaine-Sainte (The Office of Holy Week) is a liturgical work that was compiled by Monsieur L'Abbé de Bellegarde and published in 1741 in Paris. This text is primarily a collection of prayers, hymns, and rituals used in the Roman Catholic Church during the period of Holy Week, which commemorates the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The text was printed in both Latin and French, as was common for liturgical works of that time, to accommodate both the official Church language (Latin) and the vernacular language (French) for broader accessibility to the people.

The book includes the traditional elements of the Holy Week liturgy such as the readings, psalms, and chants for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. The Latin text is used for the prayers and official chants, while the French translation is provided for greater clarity and understanding for French-speaking readers. The work by L'Abbé de Bellegarde was a significant contribution to the devotional life of French Catholics in the 18th century, providing a means of engaging more intimately with the liturgy of the most solemn week in the Christian calendar. It remains a part of the historical development of the liturgical traditions of the time.

Description

Brown leather binding with extensive gilt embossed detailing on upper and lower boards as well as the spine. Engraved frontispiece and half-title and engraved sectional title pages for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Woodcut head-pieces and decorated initials and foliage motifs in gilt surrounded by a gilt border of leaf and flower motifs. At the center of each cover is the coat of arms of Louis XV. Spine with five raised bands, compartments decorated with strap work with the royal fleur de lays in the center. Second compartment lettered in gilt. All edges gilt. Corners slightly bumped, light rubbing to joints but overall a beautiful Royal binding in excellent condition. Internally very good with some foxing and some foxing and some slight marginal staining to the frontispiece and half title. Printed for the the Royal household, this Prayer Book and Missal sets out the services, prayers and devotions for Holy Week and the first week of Easter, beginning on Palm Sunday and ending on Quasimodo Sunday.