A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry.
Function
A clergy house is typically owned and maintained by a church, as a benefit to its
clergy. This practice exists in many denominations because of the tendency of clergy to be transferred from one church to another at relatively frequent intervals. Also, in smaller communities, suitable housing is not always available. In addition, such a residence can be supplied in lieu of salary, which may not be able to be provided (especially at smaller congregations).
Catholic clergy houses in particular may be lived in by several priests from a parish. Clergy houses frequently serve as the administrative office of the local parish, as well as a residence. They are normally located next to, or at least close to, the church their occupant serves.
Partly because of the general conservation of churches, many clergy houses have survived and are of historic interest or importance. In the United Kingdom, the 14th-century Alfriston Clergy House was the first property to be acquired by the National Trust. It was purchased in a state of near ruin in 1896 for £10, the vicarage having moved elsewhere long before.
In some countries where the clergy houses were often rather grand, many of them have now been sold off by the churches and replaced by more modest properties.
Nomenclature
There are a number of more specific terms whose use depends on the rank of the occupant, the denomination, and the locality. Above the parish level, a bishop's house was traditionally called a "Bishop's palace", a dean's residence is known as a
deanery, and a canon lives in a canonry or "canon's house". Other clerical titles have different names for their houses.
A parsonage is where the parson of a church resides; a parson is the priest/presbyter of a parish church. A rectory is the residence of an ecclesiastical rector, although the name may also be applied to the home of an academic rector (e.g., a Scottish university rector), or other person with that title. In North American Anglicanism, a far greater proportion of parish clergy were (and still are) titled as rector than in Britain, so the term rectory is more common there.
The names used for homes of ordinary parish clergy vary considerably and include the following:
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The Anglican Communion uses the terms vicarage or (more informal and old-fashioned) parsonage, and rectory if appropriate.
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use the terms priory, clergy house, parochial house (mostly in Ireland), chapel house (in Scotland), presbytery, and rectory (especially in Massachusetts) if appropriate. In the Philippines, the term convent is used, a direct calque of the Spanish convento. An ecclesiastical residence, sometimes called a presbytery, is the residence of a cleric in their diocese or parish.
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Manse (cognate with mansion) is a Scottish term that is used in Scottish Presbyterianism, and also in other parts of the British Isles by Non-conformist churches such as the Methodists and the United Reformed Church. This name is also commonly used by Baptists in the United Kingdom
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Pastorium is the usual term in the Southern United States, especially among Baptists.
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Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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Lutheran churches often use parsonage.
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The name "parish house" is used by many denominations.
Gallery
File:Pfarrhaus Ilmenau.JPG|A rectory in Ilmenau, Germany
File:Front Parish House Josephs Cathedral Allahabad Dec23 A7C 08450.jpg|Parish house, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Prayagraj, India
File:Plebania BaczalDolny2013.JPG|The rectory in Bączal Dolny, Poland (1923)
File:Valoprastgard.jpg|The rectory in Valö, Uppland, Sweden
File:Edsleskogs prastgard 2007.jpg|The rectory in Edsleskog, Dalsland, Sweden
File:Alatornio Old Rectory Tornio 20150806 03.JPG|The rectory in Alatornio, Lapland, Finland
File:Halton Vicarage.jpg|Halton Vicarage, England; 1739 and still used
File:The Old Vicarage, Morwenstow. - panoramio.jpg|The old vicarage, Morwenstow, England
File:The Abbey Sutton Courtenay.jpg|The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay, former rectory of Abingdon Abbey, England
File:West Manse Sanday.jpg|The West Manse, Sanday, Scotland (formerly the Free Kirk manse)
File:Vieux presbytère de Deschambault 02.jpg|Old rectory of Deschambault (1815–1818), Canada
File:Sacred Heart Rectory Davenport IA.jpg|Sacred Heart Cathedral Rectory in Davenport, Iowa, USA
File:Immaculate Conception Rectory at Botkins.jpg|An 1887 Catholic rectory in Ohio
File:Ashburton House.jpg|Ashburton House, the parish house of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington D.C.
See also
Further reading
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Alun-Jones, Deborah (2013) The Wry Romance of the Literary Rectory. London: Thames & Hudson
