Lauds

Lauds, the second of the seven canonical hours in the Benedictine daily office, is the dawn prayer that follows Matins and precedes Prime. In the world of The Name of the Rose, Lauds marks the moment when the first pale light of daybreak begins to penetrate the abbey church, offering a brief respite from the darkness and terror that dominate the narrative. It is during Lauds on the second day that the body of Venantius of Salvemec is discovered in the jar of pigs' blood, shattering the fragile peace of the morning office and confirming that a murderer is at work within the abbey.

Definition and Place in the Monastic Day

According to the schedule Adso of Melk provides in his preface, Lauds is celebrated between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning, timed to end at dawn. In the most ancient tradition, this hour was called "Matutini" or "Matins," though by the fourteenth century the terminology had shifted. The Rule of Saint Benedict prescribes that Lauds consist of psalms, a reading from Scripture, a hymn, a versicle, and the canticle from the Gospel of Luke known as the Benedictus. The hour is meant to consecrate the first light of day to God, and its name derives from the Latin word for praise, reflecting the psalms of praise that dominate its liturgy.

Lauds on the Second Day: The Discovery of Venantius

The most significant occurrence of Lauds in the novel takes place on the second day of the abbey's ordeal. As the monks chant the prescribed psalms, Adso feels his earlier fears return, particularly when he hears the words "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes." The reading from the Apocalypse further unsettles him, bringing back the terrifying images from the church doorway. However, as the chanting of the Gospel begins, Adso glimpses a pale glow above the altar, the first faint herald of a winter daybreak. This dim penumbra, replacing the night's darkness, is enough to relieve his heart. He feels the light shining in the words of the canticle, a mystic, scented lily opening among the arches of the vaults, and he prays silently, "I thank Thee, O Lord, for this moment of ineffable joy."

This moment of peace is shattered when three swineherds burst into the church, terror on their faces, whispering to the abbot. Other servants enter, shouting, "A man! A dead man!" and "A monk. You saw the sandals?" The prayers stop, and the abbot rushes out, followed by William of Baskerville. The monks leave their stalls and hurry outside. Behind the choir, in front of the pens, a strange, cruciform object protrudes above the edge of a great vessel—the legs of a man thrust head down into the jar of pigs' blood. The body is extracted, and the face of Venantius of Salvemec is revealed. The abbot turns to William and beseeches him to act quickly, acknowledging that something is afoot in the abbey that demands all his wisdom.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

Lauds functions as a structural hinge in the novel's daily rhythm, marking the transition from the darkness of night—when the murders and secret explorations occur—to the light of day, when investigation and debate take place. The hour's association with praise and the rising sun creates a stark contrast with the horrors that unfold within it. The discovery of Venantius's body during Lauds on the second day is a deliberate inversion of the hour's purpose: instead of a prayer of praise for the new day, it becomes a lament for a murdered brother. This pattern recurs on the fourth day, when, after the discovery of Berengar of Arundel's body in the balneary, the first office of the morning proceeds in confusion, with the monks' voices broken by grief and fear. The hour that should bring light and hope instead brings only more darkness and dread, underscoring the novel's theme of a world in which the sacred order has been corrupted.