Anselm of Aosta wrote the majority of his Prayers and Meditations between 1070 and 1080 and created a tradition of intimate, intensely personal prayer that drastically altered the Christian attitude to private devotion. Anselm's ardor, literary brilliance, and scrupulous theology have secured him admiration. And, as Archbishop of Canterbury, his tussle with the early Norman kings earned him a place in secular history as well.
Mostly written between 1070 and 1080, before he became Archbishop of Canterbury, the prayers and meditations of Anselm of Aosta created a tradition of intimate, intensely personal devotional works written in subtle and theologically daring prose. While the "Prayer to God" is based on the Lord's Prayer, the "Prayer to Christ" is inspired by ardent private emotion and other prayers invest saints with individual attributes, with John the Baptist as the friend, Peter as the shepherd and Mary Magdalene as the forgiving lover, among many others. The meditations include a searching exploration of the state of the soul and a lament on the loss of purity, and the Proslogion discusses the mysteries of faith. With their bright imagery, beautiful language and highly original thought, the works of Anselm have secured a lasting place in both religious and secular literature.

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