Parish

A parish is a church territorial unit constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or more curates, and who operates from a parish church. Historically, a parish often covered the same geographical area as a manor (its association with the parish church remaining paramount).

By extension the term parish refers not only to the territorial unit but to the people of its community or congregation as well as to church property within it. In England this church property was technically in ownership of the parish priest ex-officio, vested in him on his institution to that parish.

Etymology and use

First attested in English in the late 13th century, the word parish comes from the Old French paroisse, in turn from Latin: paroecia, the latinisation of the Ancient Greek: παροικία paroikia, "sojourning in a foreign land", itself from πάροικος (paroikos), "dwelling beside, stranger, sojourner", which is a compound of παρά (pará), "beside, by, near" and οἶκος (oîkos), "house".

Parroquia (Spain)

A parroquia (Spanish: [paˈroki̯a], Galician: [paˈrɔkia], Asturian: [paˈrokja]) is a population entity or parish found in Galicia and Asturias in north-west Spain. The term may have its origins in Roman Catholic Church usage, similar to the British term parish. The concept forms a very settled part of the popular consciousness, but it has never become an official political division. They are equivalent to freguesias in Portugal.

Some say that it constitutes an attempt, as originally created, to more or less match up with tribes predating the Roman presence.

In Galicia there are 3781 parroquias, each comprising between three and fifteen or more villages. They developed over time as de facto entities, although the Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981 recognises them as territorial entities below the concello (municipality) and above villages.

In Asturias there are 857 parishes (parroquias) integrating the 78 concejos or concellos (municipalities) in the region, and they usually coincide with the ecclesiastic divisions.

Parish (Denmark)

A parish (sogn) in Denmark is an ecclesiastical community (parish). Danish parishes originated in the Middle Ages. Beginning in 1645, Danish pastors were required to maintain a parish register, which in modern times has become a valuable tool for genealogical research.

Until the municipal reform of 1970, sogns were an administrative territorial unit of Denmark. In 1870, there were 1097 parish communities (sognekommuner). In 1970, there were more than 1300, and this number was reduced by the municipal reforms to 277 communities. After 1970, a community often comprised multiple parishes.

Even in the present day, the original parish boundaries still play a significant role, for example in determining community boundaries and school districts.

Hierarchy

Until 1970, a parish made up part of a hundred, which was part of a county.

References

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