« O SOLA MAGNARUM URBIUM ». — It is the hymn of praise for the feast of the Epiphany, taken from the Cathemerinon of Prudentius (canto 12, stanzas 20, 2, 16, and 18), introduced into the Breviary by Pius V. Bethlehem, which had the lot of giving birth to the Messiah the Redeemer. The poet describes the halting of the star, the coming of the Magi, the offering of the gifts, and their mystical significance.
BIBL.: S. G. Pimont, Les hymnes du Bréviaire romain, II, Paris 1882, pp. 88–95; C. Albin, La poésie du Brév. rom., Lyon n.d., pp. 138–40; A. Mirra, Gli inni del Brev. rom., Naples 1947, pp. 138–40. Silverio Mattei