spiritualty
Spiritualty (noun) 1. Ecclesiastical property or revenue: Property or income owned by a church or religious institution. This term historically refers to the lands, tithes, and other sources of revenue that belong to the church, as opposed to secular or temporal possessions.
The term is used in historical, legal, and ecclesiastical contexts to discuss church assets and finances. - The dispute centered on the management of the bishopric's spiritualty. - A portion of the spiritualty was allocated for the maintenance of the cathedral.
- In historical legal texts: The term often appears in documents discussing the separation or conflict between church and state authority over resources.
- The charter detailed the crown's rights over the temporalities, while the spiritualty remained under papal jurisdiction.
- Spirituality (noun): The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul, as opposed to material or physical things. (Note: This is a distinct, more common word with a different meaning).
- Temporality (noun): A contrast term referring to secular possessions or revenue, especially those of the church.
- Church property
- Ecclesiastical revenue
- Benefice (in some contexts)
- Glebe (specifically referring to land)
This word is archaic and highly specialized. In modern contexts, the word spirituality is vastly more common but carries an entirely different meaning related to personal faith and inner life, not property. The primary definition of spiritualty is almost exclusively historical.
- property or income owned by a church