Upper Parish

An upper parish formed a territorial unit within a diocese. Their development began in the 14th century. In the diocese of Würzburg there were a number of parishes that represented a so-called upper parish. To this day, the exact relationship between the upper parishes in the Franconian region has not been adequately researched.

Legal situation

Only churches with high benefices were raised to the upper parish. Most of the churches from the time of their own church system were entitled to the high endowments. When, in the 13th century, the property rights of private aristocrats fell into the hands of the responsible bishops, he was faced with the question of what to do with the countless income, since it was mostly tax in kind. To get rid of this organizational administration, he gave the parishes to his canons. As the ordinary pastor of the average large-scale territories, such a canon was now the owner of the parish with all rights and duties. In order to stand out from the usual “simple” pastors, the wealthy canons were given the title of senior pastor. As a rule, several localities belonged to an upper parish.

Development in the communities

Since it was understandably too strenuous for the canons to constantly commute between their own upper parish and the canon residence in the episcopal city, the priests, who came from the aristocratic class, appointed a vicar to take care of the pastoral care and liturgical duties on site. This was considered the permanent representative of the pastor. The pastor himself only came to the parish for important administrative matters and special services. As the actual owner of the upper parish, he was not only the highest spiritual lord, but also quasi sovereign of all the affiliated branches. The upper parishes were considered an untouchable area for the bishop.

End of the upper parishes

With the secularization at the beginning of the 19th century, all church institutions were abolished. The canons were deposed, so the upper parishes were vacant. The bishop (who now only had pastoral matters to regulate) now appointed the parish vicar as the incumbent pastor , as in the diocese of Würzburg, for example (Bishop Georg Karl von Fechenbach ). The rights of the previous upper parishes fell to state power. With the establishment of the Kingdom of Bavaria in 1806, the official title was "royal upper parish". From the middle of the 19th century, however, this title was no longer used.

Former upper parishes in the Diocese of Würzburg

literature

Wilhelm Apprich: The history of the upper parish Greßthal , Schweinfurt 1903.