A notarius is a public secretary who is appointed by competent authority to draw up official or authentic documents (compare English "
notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is distin ...
"). In the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
there have been apostolic notaries and even episcopal notaries. Documents drawn up by ''notarii'' are issued chiefly from the official administrative offices, the chanceries; secondly, from tribunals; lastly, others are drawn up at the request of individuals to authenticate their contracts or other acts.
Overview
The title and office existed in the bureaucracy of the
Christianised Roman Empire at the Imperial Court, where the college of imperial notaries were governed by a ''
primicerius''. From the usage in the Emperor's representative in the West, the
Exarch of Ravenna, the post and title was applied in the increasingly complicated bureaucracy of the
Papal curia in Rome. There were ''notarii'' attached to all the
episcopal see
An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...
, whence they passed into use in the royal chanceries. All these ''notarii'' were in
minor orders.
As the ''ex officio'' head of the papal chancery, the ''primicerius'' of the notaries was an important personage. During a vacancy of the papal chair, he formed part of the interim government, and a letter in 640 is signed (the pope being elected but not yet consecrated) by one "Johannes, ''primicerius'' and serving in the place of the holy apostolic see".
There were formerly apostolic notaries and even
apostolic prothonotaries commissioned by papal letters, whose duty it was to receive documents in connection with
benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
s, foundations, and donations in favor of churches, the wills of clerics and other affairs to which the ecclesiastical hierarchy was an interested party. The title no longer exists; the only ecclesiastical notaries at present are the officials of the Roman and episcopal
curia
Curia (: curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally probably had wider powers, they came to meet ...
e.
Prothonotaries
''
Liber Pontificalis
The ''Liber Pontificalis'' (Latin for 'pontifical book' or ''Book of the Popes'') is a book of biography, biographies of popes from Saint Peter until the 15th century. The original publication of the ''Liber Pontificalis'' stopped with Pope Adr ...
'' attributes the seven regional notaries of the Church in Rome, one for each ecclesiastical district of the Holy City, to an institution of
Pope Clement I (traditionally 88–98), to record the acts of the martyrs;
[''Liber Pontificalis'', ''s.v.'' "Vita Clementis", ed. Duchesne, I, 123, noted in ''Catholic Encyclopedia''.] though this is unattested in any early document, the notice of
Pope Julius I (337-352) in the ''Liber Pontificalis'' relates that this pope ordered an account of the property of the Church, intended as an authentic document, to be drawn up before the ''primicerius'' of the notaries. These important officials became the ''
prothonotaries''.
See also
*
Eschatocol
An eschatocol, or closing protocol, is the final section of a legal or public document, which may include a formulaic sentence of appreciation; the attestation of those responsible for the document, which may be the author, writer, countersigner, ...
References
{{Authority control
Officials of the Roman Curia
Catholic ecclesiastical titles
Government of the Byzantine Empire
Notary