« CHRISTE SANCTORUM DECUS ANGELORUM ». – Hymn of the Lauds for the feast of St Michael the Archangel, taken from that of the feast of the Angels. It is found among the works of Rabanus Maurus and truly does honor to the grave and measured lyrical genius of the illustrious monk of Fulda. It is a very well-modulated Sapphic poem, from which only those stanzas addressed
to the three Archangels are taken, extolling their particular qualities: Michael, the angel of peace for having vanquished Lucifer; Gabriel, the heavenly messenger of the Incarnation; Raphael, the angel of healing.
BIBL.: G. G. Belli, Gli inni del brevario romano, tradotti, Rome 1857, p. 310; C. Albini, La poësie du Bréviaire, Lyon n.d., p. 340; G. Bossi, Gli inni del Breviario romano, versione ritmica, Rome 1919, p. 192; A. Mirra, Gli inni del Breviario, Naples 1947, p. 208. Silverio Mattei