The Liber Ordinarius of the Chapter Church of Saint Saviour at Utrecht

The Ordinal of St Saviour’s or Oldminster, which dates from the first half of the fourteenth century, is a representation of the course of the liturgy as celebrated daily in one of the oldest chapter churches of the city of Utrecht. Although the church no longer exists, the Ordinal still allows us to get a sense of the liturgy that was celebrated in the building and its surroundings. The city of Utrecht had five chapter churches in the Middle Ages. Ordinals from three of these five churches have been preserved, and two of these have already been published. The edition of the Ordinal of Oldminster thus completes the data on the liturgy in this city. The canons of the five chapters frequently celebrate a ritual or a feast day (or a part of it) together in one of their five churches. The ordinals are important sources for this specific situation in Utrecht. In this way the Ordinal of Oldminster is relevant not only for the study of the liturgy in this particular church, but also for that of all the chapters in the city. The edition presented here provides a careful study of the manuscript and its contents, a reconstruction of the calendar, a detailed introduction to the liturgy of fourteenth century Utrecht, a reconstruction of the church building and of the sacral topography and the liturgical disposition of Oldminster, and comprehensive indices.