FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131  
132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>   >|  
hief house of God, the cathedral church was the _Domus Dei_, and from this name the German _Domkirche_, or _Dom_, is derived, as also the Swedish _Domkyrka_, and the Italian _Duomo_. _History and Organization._--It was early decreed that the _cathedra_ of a bishop was not to be placed in the church of a village, but only in that of a city. There was no difficulty as to this on the continent of Europe, where towns were numerous, and where the cities were the natural centres from which Christianity was diffused among the people who inhabited the surrounding districts. In the British islands, however, the case was different; towns were few, and owing to other causes, instead of exercising jurisdiction over definite areas or districts, many of the bishops were bishops of tribes or peoples, as the bishops of the south Saxons, the west Saxons, the Somersaetas and others. The _cathedra_ of such a bishop was often migratory, and was at times placed in one church, and then another, and sometimes in the church of a village. In 1075 a council was held in London, under the presidency of Archbishop Lanfranc, which, reciting the decrees of the council of Sardica held in 347 and that of Laodicea held in 360 on this matter, ordered the bishop of the south Saxons to remove his see from Selsey to Chichester; the Wilts and Dorset bishop to remove his _cathedra_ from Sherborne to Old Sarum, and the Mercian bishop, whose _cathedra_ was then at Lichfield, to transfer it to Chester. Traces of the tribal and migratory system may still be noted in the designations of the Irish see of Meath (where the result has been that there is now no cathedral church) and Ossory, the cathedral church of which is at Kilkenny. Some of the Scottish sees were also migratory. By the canon law the bishop is regarded as the pastor of the cathedral church, the _parochia_ of which is his diocese. In view of this, canonists speak of the cathedral church as the one church of the diocese, and all others are deemed chapels in their relation to it. Occasionally two churches jointly share the distinction of containing the bishop's _cathedra_. In such case they are said to be con-cathedral in relation to each other. Instances of this occurred in England before the Reformation in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, and of Coventry and Lichfield. Hence the double titles of those dioceses. In Ireland an example occurs at Dublin, where Christ Church and St Patrick's are jointl
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131  
132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
church
 

bishop

 

cathedral

 

cathedra

 

migratory

 
bishops
 
Saxons
 

districts

 
diocese
 

relation


Lichfield

 

dioceses

 
remove
 

council

 
village
 

Kilkenny

 
transfer
 
Mercian
 

Scottish

 

Ossory


designations

 

result

 

Traces

 

tribal

 

system

 

Chester

 

Coventry

 

double

 

titles

 

England


Reformation

 
Ireland
 

Church

 

Patrick

 

jointl

 
Christ
 

Dublin

 
occurs
 

occurred

 
Instances

deemed
 

chapels

 
canonists
 
pastor
 

parochia

 

Occasionally

 
Sherborne
 

distinction

 
churches
 

jointly