Llibre d'amic e amat (Book of the Lover and the Beloved)
Llibre d'amic e amat
Demanà l'amic a l'amat: «Amat, ¿on est tu?» Respòs: «En ton cor».
Our renderingThe Lover asked the Beloved: 'Beloved, where are you?' He answered: 'In your heart.'
What it is
Embedded within Blanquerna as its fourth book, this collection of 365 brief mystical sayings — one for each day of the year — constitutes the most widely used devotional text in the Lullian corpus. In each aphorism the Lover (the soul) addresses or seeks the Beloved (God/Christ), using imagery drawn from Sufi mysticism, the Song of Songs, and troubadour poetry. Llull was deeply connected to the Aragonese court and the work circulated among the Crown's ruling class; Peter IV, John I, and Martin I of Aragon all engaged with Lullian texts. The standalone manuscript tradition shows it was extracted and circulated independently from Blanquerna for private devotional use.
Why it still matters
With 365 short aphorisms, this text functions perfectly as a daily meditation practice; a Christian today can read one saying each morning and pray with its imagery throughout the day. Multiple modern translations are freely available, including on Project Gutenberg.
Kept alongside
Llibre de Santa Maria (Book of Saint Mary)
Libre de Santa Maria
Written in Montpellier around 1290, this Marian devotional manual unfolds as a dialogue between two allegorical female figures — Praise and Prayer — who journey together to contemplate Mary's thirty divine attributes, including goodness, wisdom, mercy, virginity, humility, and charity. Llull was at this time closely connected to the Aragonese court sphere, and Marian devotion was central to the royal household; two surviving manuscripts (Vatican Library and the Provincial Library of Palma de Mallorca) attest to its circulation. The work ranks among the finest pieces of Marian literature in the medieval Iberian tradition.
Llibre de oració (Book of Prayer)
Llibre de oració
Dedicated by Llull in 1299 directly to King James II of Aragon, this prayer manual was presented together with the Dictat de Ramon at the Aragonese court in Barcelona, the same year James granted Llull royal permission to preach in synagogues and mosques throughout his kingdom. This confirmed royal dedication makes it one of the few Lullian texts with an unambiguous documentary connection to the Aragonese crown's personal devotional life. The Archivo de la Corona de Aragón preserves Llull's autograph letter to the king accompanying his works. As a structured guide to prayer, it reflects Llull's concern to ground devotion in reasoned love of God.
Doctrina pueril
Written by Ramon Llull in Mallorca c.1274–1276 and explicitly dedicated to his son, this is the first catechetical manual in a Romance language, structured to convey the essentials of Christian faith to children and educated laypeople alike. Two thirds of the text walks through articles of faith, commandments, sacraments, virtues and vices; the final third introduces the liberal arts, natural science and comparative religion. Llull was the former court seneschal of James II of Majorca, a vassal of the Crown of Aragon, and sent the work along with letters suggesting it serve the princes of Aragon for their education and preparation for rule. A surviving 13th–15th-century codex is held at the Arxiu Nacional d'Andorra.