Pfarrliche Vermögensorganisation zwischen Kirche und Staat: Kirchenpflegen (Kirchenfabriken) in Württemberg im 19. und beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert

Abstract

Abstract The Administration of Ecclesiastical Goods between State and Church: Fabricae Ecclesiae in Wuerttemberg in the 19th and 20th centuries. Since the Middle Ages, fabricae ­ecclesiae served to finance the erection and the maintenance of churches. The Church claimed to freely administer these goods, even if lay men often served as administrators. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Wuerttemberg took over control of these goods and ordered the state municipality, assisted by local clerics, to govern them. In 1887, the king of Wuerttemberg started a process to separate ecclesiastical from secular goods. After WWI, the fabricae ecclesiae in Wuerttemberg were administered entirely by the Catholic Church. This contribution analyses this evolution from three perspectives, namely universal canon law, state law in Wuerttemberg, and particular canon law. It thereby highlights the tension between self-administration and state control of ecclesiastical goods, especially in the 19th century, and points to the fact that even the Catholic Church was part of the secular ruler’s authority over the church.