Psalter, Psalterium

(From the Greek psalterion = zither-like stringed instrument) a Psalter contains the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament, which clerics and monks were obliged to recite as part of the canonical hours. However, the Psalms were also important for the piety of lay people in the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, valuable Psalters were particularly popular as wedding gifts in court circles.