16 - Spiritual Life and Education in the London Friaries

Summary

LONDON'S role as a centre of Christian worship can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in 604, if not to the late Roman period. In addition to the cathedral and the monastery dedicated to St Peter to the west, a number of other religious institutions were founded which enhanced the religious importance of a political and economic capital that benefited significantly from the demographic and economic expansion which characterised the development of western Europe between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, allowing William FitzStephen to mention thirteen major convent churches in the City and its suburbs in the late twelfth century. The mendicant houses which were established in the city from 1221 onwards were the last great contribution to this rich heritage in the middle ages. They contributed to the change of the city's topography, and the bigger convents, the Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites and Austin Friars, which were part of London's religious landscape for about three centuries, became important cultural centres.

Spiritual life

Although the mendicants introduced important differences to the traditional orders, notably the absence of stabilitas loci, the duty to remain in the convent after profession, they did retain core elements of older monasticism. In addition to the vows of chastity and poverty these included a regular performance of the liturgy. The Dominicans came to London before they had established their Constitutions (1228) and it may be assumed that they were following the liturgy of the Augustinians because technically they were Augustinian canons. This consisted of prayers and the recitation of psalms and hymns at fixed times horis et temporibus constitutes – Psalms 62, 5 and 89 for matins, a psalm with two antiphones, a reading and complet at terce, sext and at noon, a psalm with four antiphones, another psalm, a reading and complet in the evening and further services at night. In November, December, January and February these consisted of twelve antiphones, six psalms and three readings; in March, April, September and October ten antiphones, five psalms and three readings, and in the remaining months when the night hours were still shorter a reduced load of eight antiphones, four psalms and two readings. This will have been the pattern for the Austin Friars as well. From 1228 the Dominican service began with matins which consisted of a service of the Virgin.