THE DAILY LIFE OF THE MONK

(The Horarium) 6th Century

Winter
2:00am Rise for Nocturns (the modern Matins)
2:10-3:00 Nocturns
3:30-5:00 Reading
5:00-5:45 Lauds
5:45-8:15 Reading, including Prime (20 minutes)
8:15-2:30 Work, broken by Terce, Sext, and None (10 minutes each)
2:30-3:15 Dinner
3:15-4:15 Reading
4:15-4:45 Vespers, collation (reading),  Compline
5:15 In bed by this time

Summer
1:00-2:00 Nocturns
2:15-3:00 Lauds
3:00-4:30 Reading
4:30-9:15 Prime and work
9:30-11:30 Reading
11:45-12:30 Dinner
12:30-2:00 Siesta
2:00-6:00 Work
6:30-7:00 Vespers
7:00-7:30 Supper and collation
7:30-8:00 Compline and bed

11th Century

2:30 Rise; prayers with seven psalms; Psalms 119-150; Nocturns; several more psalms for the royal house; Matins and Lauds of the Dead ;Matins of All Saints
4:00-6:00 Reading
6:00-6:45 Lauds; psalm misere; psalms and prayers for royal house; anthems; Prime; seven penitential psalms; litany of the saints
7:30-8:00 Reading
8:00-9:30 Seven psalms; Terce; psalms for the royal house; Chapter or Morrow mass meeting in chapter-house, followed by psalms for the dead
9:45-12:00 Work
12:00 Sext;  psalms and prayers for relatives, etc.
High Mass
1:30 None psalms and prayers for relatives, etc.
2:00 Dinner
2:45-4:30 Vespers;  psalms for relatives anthems Vespers for All Saints Vesper of the Dead
5:30 Reading
6:15 Compline;  psalm misere five psalms
6:30 Retire

In addition, there were processions before the High Mass three days per week and some extra prayers omitted from the list above.

20th Century

5:00 Rise
5:30 Matins and Lauds (3/4 hour to 1-1/4 hours)
Private Masses (1/2 hour) and prayer
8:15 Prime; breakfast taken standing before or after; spiritual reading
10:00 Terce and High Mass
11:00-12:15 Sext
1:00 Dinner, followed by recreation in common
2:30 None, followed by manual work indoors or out
4:30 Vespers
5:00-7:00 Work--for most, this is study,
7:00 twice a week: coference from the abbot, choir practice, etc.
7:30 Supper, followed by free time
8:30 Compline; retire

(In addition, one half-hour of private prayer is worked into each monk's schedule.)