The travails of the rural parish fabriques
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The ordinance of December 30, 1809 set up in each French parish a parish council (conseil de fabrique), tasked with managing the income and expenses of the Catholic church. This council included alongside the parish priest several lay members, and answered to both the Church hierarchy and the State administration. These fabriques were very quickly confronted with various hurdles. Their receipts remained insufficient as a rule, coming mostly from renting assigned chairs and benches during Mass. Moreover, they were plagued by power struggles which often led to their disorganization and a declining commitment of parish members. Under the Restauration, these various difficulties led to the elaboration of a reform plan which was rejected by the bishops.
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