ABBREVIATORS, a body of writers in the papal chancery,
whose business was to sketch out and prepare in due form the
pope's bulls, briefs and consistorial decrees before these are
written out
in extenso by the scriptores. They are first
mentioned in
Extravagantes of John XXII. and of Benedict
XII. Their number was fixed at seventy-two by Sixtus IV.
From the time of Benedict XII. (1334-1342) they were classed
as
de Parco majori or
Praesidentiae majoris, and
de
Parco minnori. The name was derived from a space in the
chancery, surrounded by a grating, in which the officials sat,
which is called higher or lower (major or minor) according to
the proximity of the seats to that of the vice-chancellor.
After the protonotaries left the sketching of the minutes
to the abbreviators, those
de Parco majori, who ranked as
prelates, were the most important officers of the apostolic
chancery. By Martin V. their signature was made essential to
the validity of the acts of the chancery; and they obtained in
course of time many important privileges. They were suppressed
in 1908 by Pius X. and their duties were transferred to the
protonotarii apostolici participantes. (See CURIA ROMANA.)
This article is from the 1911 edition of an encyclopedia, which is out of copyright here in the U.S. It is in the public domain and you may copy, download, print and distribute this work as you see fit.
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