Pope Clement VIII published the first book to bear this name on 14 July 1600. It was a revision, in line with the renewal ordered by the
Council of Trent, of the contents of books, called
Ordines Romani, written from the end of the seventh century onwards to describe the ceremonies for the election and ordination of a Pope and to give indications for Mass and other celebrations by the Pope in the course of the year. The contents of these books were enriched over time. A work in two sections, which became known as
De Cæremoniis Cardinalium et Episcoporum in eorum diœcesibus (Ceremonies of Cardinals and Bishops in Their Own Dioceses) was added in the sixteenth century. Pope Clement VIII's
Cæremoniale Episcoporum was based on these texts and on others which have now been lost. The work of preparation, begun in December 1582 under
Pope Gregory XIII took 17 years. A facsimile of the original 1600 edition in two books was published by
Libreria Editrice Vaticana in 2000.
Pope Innocent X issued a revised edition in 1650. In 1727 or 1729 the chapters, originally printed as single blocks, were divided into numbered paragraphs and summaries were added at the head of each chapter, in place of the previous titles. In 1752,
Pope Benedict XIV revised slightly the two preexisting books and added a third on ceremonies to be observed by those holding civil office in the
Papal States. In 1886,
Pope Leo XIII made yet another revision, in which, though the Papal States had been incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy, he kept the third book. The
Catholic Encyclopedia gives an account of the
Cæremoniale Episcoporum as it stood after this 1886 revision. ==Contemporary versions==