Hermann István: A veszprémi egyházmegye igazgatása a 18. században 1700-1777 - A Veszprém Megyei Levéltár kiadványai 37. (Veszprém, 2015)
VII. Mutatók
Abstract The governors of the diocese In the second part of my study I addressed questions such as which clusters of the clergy played a role in the governance of the diocese, and what options the superiors of the clergy had in order to form an elite in the diocese, or reversing the question, what career possibilities did the clergy have. I tried to answer these questions by examining the deans, the members of the chapter and the commissaries that, together with the bishop, had an important role in the management of the diocese. In this period, 49 rural deans worked in the diocese. Although some of them came from other dioceses, and were appointed deans immediately upon arrival or after one or two years, new members to the deaconry were basically recruited from the active clergy of the diocese. The priests who were given the assignment of the deanship had spent on average ten years working as priests before they could assume their new office. Besides their pastoral work, their education played an important part in their being promoted. Most of them had graduated in Nagyszombat, and surprisingly few of them continued their studies in rural seminars. In the case of 4 out of the 49 deans there are no data concerning the location of their theological studies. Only 2 of the known 45 graduated in Veszprém, as well as one in Győr and one in Buda. Of the remaining 41,2 graduated in Vienna, the others in Nagyszombat. By contrast, the educational distribution of the entire clergy reveals a different picture. We have data of the locations of the theological studies of nearly 450 priests. Only one third of them graduated in Nagyszombat, one third graduated in Veszprém, and one third in other, mostly rural seminars (Győr, Zagreb, Buda, Kassa, etc.). The care taken in selecting the deans may have accounted for the low overall number of unsuccessful deaconal careers that we know of. Most deans served until death, or were appointed canons and thus moved up the career ladder. Sixteen deans of the 49 were awarded the title of honorary canon and 13 took possession of their canonicate. This latter number constitutes nearly half of the 29 canons with an income in this period. If we examine in detail the careers of those who received the stallum of the canon, it can be asserted that most of the new recruits of the cathedral chapter of Veszprém were supplied by the clergy of the diocese. Nineteen of the 29 canons had previously served as priests in the diocese, and only 10, one third of the canons, were recruited from outside the diocese. These cases also show a personal relationship between the beneficed and the relevant superior, as well as the participation in the management of the diocese (for instance, as commissary) after admission to the chapter. All this distinguishes the Veszprém Chapter from its contemporary counterparts in Győr, Esztergom, or Pécs, which was considered 347
