By the fourth century, the elements of the canonical hours were more or less established.
By the fourth century, the characteristics of the canonical hours more or less took their present shape.
They would have announced the canonical hours or intervals between set times of prayer.
The organized order of prayers called "canonical hours" come from Jewish tradition.
By the 14th century, these breviaries contained the entire text of the canonical hours.
As is noted above, the canonical hours stemmed from Jewish prayer.
The ecclesiastical day has five divisions, known as the Canonical hours with four three hour tides between.
He thus reduced the relative importance of Matins with respect to the other canonical hours.
Canonical hours varied in length as the times of sunrise and sunset shifted.
Traditionally the canonical hours were chanted by the participating clergy.