PAT'IIONAGE, ECCLESIASTICAL, the right of presenting a fit person to a vacant eccle siastical benefice. The patron, in the original and more strict sense, was the person who founded or endowed the church. In the early ages of Christianity the countries where the new religion had been adopted were parceled out into large districts or dioceses, tinder the superintendence of a bishop, who usually resided in the neighborhood of ono of the religious houses. Within such district the bishop had the nomination of the priests, who supplied religious instruction to the people. The priests were paid out of the epis copal treasury, and traveled about in the exercise of their duties, having their residence with the bishop, and forming that episcopi dents which constituted the notion of cathedral churches and monasteries in their simplest form. Occasionally a bishop endowed a church in hi: diocese and attached a priest permanently to it; and in Gaul, in the 5th c., a bishop who founded a church in a neighboring diocese was allowed to appoint an incumbent of his choice. As Christianity became more universal, and the population increased, the mains of worship supplied by the bishoprics, the monasteries, and occa sional episcopally endowed ehurelies, became inadequate for the demands of the people, and the proprietors of lands began to build and endow churches in their own possessions. In such cases the chaplain or priest was not paid by the bishop, bat allowed to receivo for his maintenance, and for the use of his church, the whole or a part of the profits of the lands with which the founder had endowed it, and the offerings of those who fre quented the church for worship. A district was defined by the founder, within which the functions of the officiating priest were to be exercised; and both the burden and the advantages of his ministry were limited to the inhabitants of that district. As these pious foundations tended both to the advancement of religion and to the relief of the episcopal treasury, they were, encouraged by the bishops, who readily consecrated the churches thus established, and consented that the incumbent should be resident at the church, and receive the tithes and offerings of the inhabitants and what endowment the founder had annexed to the church. Eventually, it came also to be stipulated with the bishop that the founder and his heirs should have a share in the administration of the property, and have the right to nominate a person in holy orders to be the officiating minister whenever is vacancy occurred. It also became a not unusual arrangetnent that when owners of estates rebuilt such churches as were dependent on the cathedral, or undertook to pay the incumbent, to the relief of the cathedral, the right of presentation was transferred from the bishop to these persons, who thenceforward stood in the sante relation to these churches as if they had been the original founders. Out of these private en lowinents arose the parochial divisions of a later time, which thus owe their origin nailer to acci dental and private flotation than to any legislative scheme for the ceelesiaslieal subdivision of the country. The bounds of a parish were at first generally commensurate with those of a manor, and the lord of the manor was the hereditary patron. The person enjoying the privileges of a founder was called patronus and adrocatuk He had a preeminent seat and a burial-place in the church; he enjoyed a precedence among the clergy in proces sions; his name and arms were engraved on the church and on the church-bells, and he was specially named in the public prayers. lie had the right to a certain portion of the church funds, called patronagium, and enjoyed the fruits bf the benefice during a vacancy. In the course of time it sometimes happened that, with the concurrence of all parties interested, the patronage, and the church with its revenues and appurtenances, were made over to a religious house, which thus became,' both patron and perpettial incumbent of the parish, while the immediate duties of the cure were devolved on a vicar or stipen diary curate. In France the right of patrOnage was often extended to churches not
originally private foundations by the necessities of the sovereigns,which led them to take possession of church property, and bestow. it in fee on laymen, who appropriated the greater part of the revenues, and took the appointment of the clergy into their own hands. For a length of time not merely the nomination but the investiture of the clergy came to be exercised by lay patrons, a state of matters which roused the indignation of successive popes and councils: until it was at last ruled by the third and fourth lateran councils (1179 and 1215 A.D.) that the presentation of the patron should not of itself suffice to confer any ecclesiastical benefice, even when qualified by the discretionary power of rejection given to the bishop, when the presentee was a layman. It was declared neces sary that the presentee should not merely have the temporalities of the benefice conferred on him by induction, but also be invested with the spiritualities by institution. When the bishop was patron of the benefice the ceremonies of induction and institution were united in that of collation. With the growth of the papal power, however, a practice arose by which the right of presentation or induction, which had nominally been left to the patrons. became in some degree nugatory. Toward the close of the 12th c. letters of request, called mandates or expectatives, began to be issued by the popes to patrons, praying that benefices should be bestowed on particular persons. What had at first been requested as a favor was soon demanded as a right, and a code of rules was laid down with regard.to grants and revocations of expectatives. In the 13th c. the patronage of all livings whose incumbents had died at the court of Rome (racantia, in curid) was claimed by the pope; and, as ecclesiastics of all ranks from every part of Europe frequently visited Rome. the number of benefices rucantia in curia, was always very great. Clement V. went so far as broadly to declare that the pope possessed the full and free disposal of all ecclesiastical benefices. The practice next arose of the pope making reversionary grants, called provisions of benefices, during the lifetime of the incumbent, and reserving what benefices he thought fit for his private patronage. By means of permissions to hold benefices in commencIant, and diSpensations for non-residence and holding of pluralities, upwards of fifty benefices were often held by one person; and throughout all Europe the principal benefices were filled Lv Italian priests, nominees of the popes, who were often ignorant of the very language of the people among whom they ministered. In the 14th c. tnese claims encountered much opposition. England took the lead in an organized resistance, which was in the end successful. A. series of English statutes was passed. beginning with the statute of provisors, 25 Edw. III. c. 6, solemnly vindicating the rights of ecclesiastical patronage. and subjecting to severe penalties (see all per sons who should attempt to enforce the authority of papal provisions in England. The principles adopted by the third and fourth lateran councils have since been substantially the law of patronage in Roman Catholic countries. A lay patron is, by the canon bound to exercise his right of presentation within four, and an ecclesiastical patron within six months, failing which the right to present accrues jure decalutb, to the bishop of the diocese. Patronage has always been more or less subject to alienation, transmis sion, and the changes incident to other kinds of property. The modern practice of patron age in the Roman Catholic church is detailed under the head provision (q.v.).