Patronage was used as a strategy to create and strengthen the social networks of families. After the Council of Trent, two models of godparenthood were allowed by the Church: individual, or in pairs, the latter consisting of a man and a woman. The Council itself intended to discourage godparents from being clerics; however, there was no rejection of ecclesiastics in the diocese of Lugo; on the contrary, their election increased during the following centuries. The period with the highest percentage was in the transition from the 17th to the 18th century, when ecclesiastics were the godparents of 12% of the total number of the baptised. Subsequently, the levels of spiritual affiliation decreased to 1% at the end of the 19th century. The author argues that, during the peak years of godparenting, parish clergy were seen as equals in the community where two factors converged: they could benefit from mutual agricultural help and religious training. The decline is explained by demographic and sociological factors: first, as the population increased during the 18th century, families had more options to build neighbourly relationships of fidelity, to the detriment of the clergy. Second, the number of ecclesiastics also increased, causing them to be viewed negatively as the number of burdens increased and they were perceived as agents who no longer belonged to their social group.

Collection: Graphics

Project: 10. Churches and religions in Europe., 4. Family, daily life and social inequality in Europe.

Chronology: XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX

Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University

Link: http://www.tiemposmodernos.org/tm3/index.php/tm/article/view/4651/834

Resource type: Graph

Format: Line chart

Source: González López, T. (2019). "Eclesiásticos sirviendo de padrinos: el papel del clero en el padrinazgo en la diócesis de Lugo (siglos XVI-XIX)", en Tiempos Modernos, nº 38, p. 230.

Language: Spanish

Date: 2019

Owner: Pablo Ballesta Fernández (Modernalia)

Copyright: ©Tiempos Modernos ©Tamara González López

Abstract: Resource showing the levels of patronage by ecclesiastics during the Modern Age in the diocese of Lugo

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