1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Vespers

VESPERS (officium vespertinum), in the Roman Catholic liturgy, that part of the daily office which follows none (nona) and precedes compline (completorium). In it the Pater Noster, Ave Maria, Deus in Adjutorium, &c., are followed by five psalms and five antiphons, after which come the "little chapter," the hymn and the verse, which vary according to the season, the Magnificat and its antiphon, and the appropriate collect. In the general features the use of this office can be traced back to a very early date both in the Eastern Church and in Western. Vespers may be said or sung at any time after midday, and in some circumstances even before it. (See Breviary.)