CANON (OF. canonic, Late Lat. canonicus, from Init, canon, rule, (lk. hne6e,kanon, straight bar, rule, norm,. An ecclesiastic not belonging to any of the religious orders, lout living in a com munity under a definite rule of life. As early as the Fourth Century, Eusebius of Vercelli (died c.371) united the clergy of his see city into such a y, and the example was followed in the Fifth by Saint Augustine at Hippo. There are indications of the early existence of the insti tution at Tours. at Rheims, and at the Lateran in Rome: but it was not common until the end of the Eighth Century. Its origin is sometimes erroneowsly ascribed to •hrodegang, Bishop of Metz from 742 to 706; hut his real service was the reduction to writing of a rule of life, WHO] was adopted by many other holies of canons. It was taken partly front the rule of Saint Bene dict (he was a Benedict hue himself), and partly from the traditions of the Lateran cations. With some adaptations by the deacon Amala•ius of Metz, it was confirmed by Louis he Illbonnaire in the great council of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 816 or 817. as binding throughout the Frankish domin ions. Under this rude the canons lived under one roof. with a common table; the regular cm ployment of their whole time was prescribed. and a spirit of brotherhood fostered. They differed from monks in wearing no cowl and making no religious vows. The immediate head of the com munity, under the bishop, was in the rule of Chrodegang the archdeacon, in the constitution of Aix a provost, or in some churches an abbot.
The early fervor gradually decayed and disor ders crept in, partly owing to the possession of private property and the growing wealth of cer tain chapters, and partly to the troubled condi tion of Europe in the decline of the Carlovingian monarchy. Vigorous reforms were attempted. in harmony with the spirit of the time, in the Elev enth Century, notably by Saint Peter Damian and by Roman synods under Nicholas 11. (1059)
and Alexander It. (1063). These councils not only laid down strict rules for the maintenance of a common life, but strongly urged the abandon ment of private property. This counsel was soon followed in many places. As the newer organiza tions were largely based upon the example and writings of Saint AtIgustine, his name was gen erally attached to their rule, perhaps first by Gervasius, Archbishop of Rheims, in 1067. (See AUGUSTINIANS.) At first, and even after there were as many as 4000 houses of the kind, they had no connection with each other; but in 1339 Benedict X11. established a system of gen eral and provincial chapters, whose decisions were to be binding on all houses under their ju risdiction. In spite of this, a century later these ties had been much relaxed, and the spirit of pov erty forgotten. No further attempt was made at general reformation, although various separate societies succeeded brilliantly in restoring the old standards. Nally of the old foundations were destroyed at the Reformation, and ninny more by the revolutionary developments from the end of the Eighteenth Century, so that only a few congregations now exist. Of these the principal ones are the Lateran canons, who possess a few houses in Austria. including Klosterneuburg, near Vienna (founded 1106), and the Premon stratensians (q.v.).
In modern times, the title of canon is applied to the dignitaries, whether in the Roman Catho lic Church or in the Church of England, who form a sort of council to the bishop and perform certain duties in his cathedral church. For their organization, see more particularly CHAPTER.