The Council of Trent convened in Trent (then capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Trent, in the Holy Roman Empire) between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions. Council leaders met for the first through eighth sessions in Trent (1545–7), and for the ninth through eleventh sessions in Bologna (1547) during the pontificate of Pope Paul III. Under Pope Julius III, the council met in Trent (1551–52) for the twelfth through sixteenth sessions. Under Pope Pius IV, the seventeenth through twenty-fifth sessions took place in Trent (1559–63).

This book includes the decrees and canons of the council, and includes a Table of Contents for easy reference to the twenty-five sessions.