Het patronaatsrecht en het pastoorsbeneficie van de parochiekerk Erp van de veertiende tot de zestiende eeuw

Samenvatting

This essay consists of two sections. The first section provides a theoretical framework based on secondary literature on benefices, the right of patronage and of collation, as well as the incorporation of a chur. First, it poses that a kerkghifte only included the office of parish priest, including the spiritual and financial responsibility. The fabric itself was managed by the churchwardens. Secondly, this part elaborates on the agreements made between the church authorities and founders/owners of the churches or chapels regarding the appointment and payment of clergymen and the balance of power between both parties. In the second section, original research is presented, by providing a case study on the parish church of Erp, in present-day North Brabant, the in the diocese of Liège. The author discuss- 216 Summaries es the owners of the right of patronage, which originally referred to the investitus, but from 1491 onwards also concerned the vicarious perpetuus, as well as the clergymen appointed to these positions. This right of patronage was co-owned by two families: Van Broechoven and Cnode. With the exception of the earliest period (the fourteenth century), the author has managed to almost uncover both lines of ownership almost completely. Similarly, the appointments of investiti have almost all been traced back. The Van Broechovens mostly presented clergymen connected with Erp, while the Cnodes preferred secular canons. The right of patronage of the vicarage, established in 1491, was held by Andries van Broechoven (1-6) and his successors. Conflicts regarding the exertion of this right were rare. Moreover, these few examples are difficult to understand, because the contracts were drawn up solely to ratify an agreement, without providing much background information. The right of patronage was a complex arrangement to guarantee the privileges and profits of both the Church and secular beneficiaries in the appointment of parish clergymen. This essay explains how this arrangement functioned in practice, and how the rights of the church founder, whether or not a lay person, and his successors were maintained for many centuries.