Ranking of liturgical days of saints in Vorau according to the calendar of Liber Ordinarius A-VOR 99 (14th century) and its equivalent in the Antiphoners A-VOR 253 and A-VOR 28
Legend:
bold: historiae in A-VOR 253
underlined: historiae additionally in A-VOR 287
italic: consecration of the altar in the calendar of A-VOR 99
Summum festum (highest ranking category):
Purificacio, Annunciacio dominica, Invencio s. crucis, Nativitas s. Johannis, Petri et Pauli, Visitacio Mariae Virginis, Translacio s. Thomae apostoli, Assumpcio s. Marie virginis, Augustini episcopi, Nativitas s. Marie virginis, Michaelis archangeli, Conceptio Marie virginis, Thome apostoli, Stephani prothomartiris, Johannis apostoli et evangeliste.
Medium festum (bini, („bini“, second-ranking category):
Conversio Pauli, Dorothee, Kathedra s. Petri, Mathye, Conversio s. Marie Magdalene (2.3.), Rudberti episcopi, Ambrosii episcopi, Marci, Phylippi et Jacobi, Commemoracio s. Pauli, Translacio s. Nycolai, Margarete virginis, Divisio apostolorum, Marie Magdalene, Jacobi, ad vincula s. Petri, in inventione s. Stephani prothomartyris, Affre, Laurencii levite, Bartholomei, decollacio s. Johannis, Exaltacio s. crucis, Matthei, Rudperti episcopi**, translacio s. Virgilii**, Jeronimi, Translacio s. Augustini, Luce, Undecim milium virginum [Ursula], Symonis et Jude, Eustachii, Martini episcopi, Elyzabet regine, Katherine virginis et martiris, Virgilii episcopi, Andree, Barbare*, Nycolai episcopi*, sanctorum Innocentum, Thome episcopi et martiris.
* Ranking of liturgical days in most calendars, except in A-VOR 99
** Calendar in A-VOR 135, Breviary 1466: festum
Festum novem lectionum (third-ranking category):
Octava s. Stephani, Octava s. Johannis, Octava Innocentum, Erhardi episcopi, Marcelli pape, Sebastiani, Agnetis, Vincencii, Timothei, Cirilli episcopi, Blasii, Agathe, Amandi, Valentini, Chunigunde*, Benedicti abbatis, Georii, Floriani, Johannis ante portam latinam, Pancracii, Urbani pape, Marcellini et Petri, Erasmi, Primi et Feliciani, Barnabe, Basilidis, Viti, Marci et Marcelliani, Gervasii, Achacii, Johannis et Pauli, Octava s. Johannis, Udalrici, Octava apostolorum, Kyliani, Septem fratrum, Heinrici, Alexii, Appollinaris, Anne matris Marie, Pantaeleymonis, Felicis pape, Stephani pape, Oswaldi regis, Sixti pape, Ciriaci, Tiburcii, Ypoliti, Octava s. Marie, Hermetis, Egidii abbatis, Octava s. Augustini, Corbiniani, Octava [nat.] s. Marie virginis, Lamperti, Mauricii, XLmus dies assumpcionis, Cosme et Damiani, Octava s. Rudberti, Dionysii, Gereonis, Maximiliani, Cholomani, Kalixti, Januarii, Crispini, Amandi, Leonhardi, Theodori, Martini pape, Brictii, Othmari, Octava s. Martini, Cecilie, Clementis, Crisogoni, Lini pape, Octava Katherine, Octava Virgilii, Octava s. Andree, Damasi, Lucie, Silvestri pape.
* Calendar in A-VOR 135, Breviary 1466: bini
Transfiguratio is found in the later calendars, e.g. A-VOR 135, Breviary 1466: festum. Juliana is rarely found in calendars, e.g. A-VOR 135, Breviary 1466: novem lectionum.
The provided tables illustrate that the special saint's offices (historiae) are found solely on days with one of the three highest ranks. (This is also logical, since for the feasts with three lessons or the commemorations the complete offices were not sung, and the structure of the feast was simplified.) In the category of the summa festa it is evident that all the younger feasts of this rank have without exception been provided with their own special office (historia), so that they can be categorized the same as the „classic“ traditional solemnities of the highest rank.
From the 40 festa media (=bini) 15 have got their own special office (historia). These are the Patron saints of the diocese and the Order (Rupert, Virgil, Augustine), the second Feast of the Cross, as well as some female saints important for the region, such as Dorothy, Mary Magdalene, Afra, Ursula, Catherine, Elisabeth and Barbara, as well as Thomas of Canterbury, who was venerated in Salzburg from the beginning.
In the case of three saints the original special office (historia) was repeated on their second feast, for further 10 saints the traditional proper texts are used, eight times the Commune apostolorum is utilized, thus leaving only four less significant saints in this category for the use of the Commune.
In the third category festum novem lectionum we find new special offices (historiae) for the saints Heinrich, Kunigunde, Vitus, Achatius, Anne, Hermes and Aegidius, so that as an intended „byproduct“ all Fourteen Holy Helpers are emphasized by an special office (historia). These are alltogether for some reason „special“ saints of this category, which enjoy special liturgical attention. Apart from these, we find in this group many old and new Octaves of feasts (with the repetition of the proper of the feast, several feasts with propers based on the office (e.g. Cecilia) and saints – Roman as well as local – of secondary relevance.
The significance of the feast of a saint should not be forgotten, when there is an altar in the church dedicated to his or her honour. In this case the feast was celebrated at the specific altar with great solemnity. In the medieval church in Vorau there were altars dedicated to the Holy Cross, the Holy Spirit, Saint Mary, Thomas the Apostle, John the Evangelist, Paul, Andrew, Rupert, Michael, Anne, Catherine and Elisabeth. All of the above have their own older or newer propria historia.
The donations, a rarely observed motive for the elevation of the rank and the related introduction of new special offices (historiae) are not to be underestimated. Inga Behrendt has researched these for Seckau. Pius Fank describes in his history of the Vorau monastery some donations of the 14th century which, by our observations, had a concrete impact on the liturgy of the monastery. Since 1329, based on the donation of the provost Marquard (1324-1343), the Office of St. Elisabeth is to be solemnly sung. In 1358 the solemn chant of the Office for the Feast of the Conception of Mary was ordained by the provost Heinrich von Wildungsmauer (1350-1381). The donation document from 1372 testifies of the funded Offices of Dorothy (by the canon Liebhard), Anne (by the canon Friedrich), as well as Vitus and Barbara (by Dietmar, priest from Pöllau). For all these feasts the special offices (historiae) exist.