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Matins is the
monastic nighttime
liturgy, ending at dawn, of the
canonical hours. In the
Roman Catholic pre-Vatican-II
breviary, it is divided into three
nocturns. The name "matins" originally referred to the morning office also known as
lauds. When the nocturnal monastic services called
vigils or nocturns were joined with lauds, the name of "matins" was applied at first to the concluding morning service and later still to the entire series of vigils.