In Oriental Orthodox Christianity and Oriental Protestant Christianity, the office is prayed at 6 am, being known as Sapro in the Syriac and Indian traditions it is prayed facing the eastward direction of prayer by all members in these denominations, both clergy and laity, being one of the seven fixed prayer times. In the Anglican daily office, the hour of matins (also spelled mattins) is a simplification of matins and lauds from the Use of Sarum. Lutherans preserve recognizably traditional matins distinct from morning prayer, but 'matins' is sometimes used in other Protestant denominations to describe any morning service. In the Byzantine Rite these vigils correspond to the aggregate comprising the midnight office, orthros, and the first hour. Outside of monasteries, it was generally recited at other times of the day, often in conjunction with lauds.

It was divided into two or (on Sundays) three nocturns. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by monks from about two hours after midnight to, at latest, the dawn, the time for the canonical hour of lauds (a practice still followed in certain orders). Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. For other religious observances, see Morning Prayer (disambiguation).

Divine office for today