Chancellor

CHANCELLOR. - A noun designating, in medieval diplomatics, the head of the chancery. It should be noted that it was the office that received its name from the official, and not vice versa.

The term initially indicated the keeper of the gates (cancelli) of the tribunal, but by the 5th century it is already encountered with reference to the duties of a scribe at the imperial court (Cod. Theod., VI, 27,1); two centuries later it denoted by then a position of notable importance, to judge from certain references in Cassiodorus (Variae, XI, 6,10. 14. 36. 37. 39; XII, 1. 3. 10. 12. 14. 15, ed. Th. Mommsen, in MGH, Auct. antiquis., XII). Also in the Roman curia the cancellarius S. romanae Ecclesiae (v. CANCELLERIA) was one of the most prominent offices and was conferred on prelates of cardinalitial dignity. In the exercise of his functions the c. was often confused with the tabelliones and the notarii, until the growing prestige of his office brought him to the top of the chancery duties.

In the Roman Curia there are then, with the title of c., various other offices: thus the "c. of the apostolic briefs" (v. SEGRE-

TERIA DI STATO), the "c. notary of the S. Congregation of Rites" (v. CONGREGAZIONI PONTIFICIE), the c. or "notary of the S. Roman Rota" (v. ROTA). Moreover every pontifical athenaeum has a "gran c." (v. UNIVERSITÀ). Finally in every diocesan curia there are one or more c. (v. CURIA DIOCESANA; TRIBUNALE).

Alessandro Pratesi