Dean and Chapter of St Paul's facts for kids
St Paul's Cathedral in London has a long history, and for many centuries, it was managed by a special group called the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral. Think of them as the main leadership team for the cathedral. This group included the Dean, who was the head, and other important priests called "canons." These canons were also known as "prebendaries" because their income came from special church properties.
The Dean and Chapter used to be a large group of priests who would meet, but these big meetings didn't happen very often. Most of the day-to-day running of the cathedral was done by a smaller group, also led by the Dean, made up of senior residentiary canons. They were sometimes simply called "The Chapter."
In 1999, some big changes happened for most cathedrals, including St Paul's. A new law, called the Cathedrals Measure 1999, updated how cathedrals are run. Now, the main governing body is simply called "the Chapter." The larger group of priests, which now also includes archdeacons, bishops, and even people who are not priests (called "lay canons"), is known as "The College of Canons." The Dean leads this College. There's also a new group called the "Cathedral Council," which helps make big decisions like approving the budget.
Since the year 2000, the official name for the cathedral's governing body is "The Corporation of the Cathedral Church of St Paul in London." The old term "Dean and Chapter" is no longer the legal name. Today, the Chapter is led by the Dean of St Paul's, who is currently the Very Revd David Ison (he started in May 2012). This Chapter includes four ordained priests and up to four lay people.
For a long time, the canons (prebendaries) had their income from specific estates, often far from the cathedral. By the early 1200s, there were 30 such positions. The money from these estates was often enough that many prebendaries didn't need to live at the cathedral. Many of these roles were given to senior clergy, like archdeacons and bishops, to help boost their earnings.
It's interesting to note that fourteen of these prebendaries later became archbishops, showing how important these roles were. Even when other church institutions changed a lot in the mid-1500s, the prebendary system at St Paul's survived. This might be because St Paul's was not a monastery. Later, in the 1800s, the church took over these estates and gave the prebendaries a cash payment instead. However, over time, due to inflation, this money lost most of its value. Because of this, the role of a prebendary today is mostly honorary and unpaid.
Deans of St Paul's
To learn more about the leaders of St Paul's Cathedral, see Deans of St Paul's.
Images for kids
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Model of the Old St. Paul's Cathedral in the Museum of London showing the chapter house
