Primicerius

As primicerius ( primus in cera or primus in tabula cerata, ie first on a waxed board with a list of officials ) each head of a civil administration branch was in the Roman Late Antiquity referred to, eg primicerius notariorum, primicerius protectorum. Often these were in the office-holders to eunuchs. In the Byzantine Empire the title remained as hellenized primikerios ( πριμικηριος ) with different comparative forms in use.

In the Catholic church of the early Middle Ages, which was oriented in their organization in many ways to that of the late Roman state, this title given to the head of a group of notarii and defensores. When the church began in the 6th century, young men to contract in training for service in the church in schools, the directors of these institutions were also usually called primicerius: A Lyon inscription dated 551 mentioned Stephen primicerius scholae Lectorum servientium in ecclesia Lugdunensi. Isidore of Seville describes in his Epistola ad Ludefredum to 600 the duties of a primicerius the lower clergy. Following this presentation, the primicerii acquired a growing importance in terms of liturgical functions.

In the rules Chrodegang and the statutes of the Amalarius from Metz to the daily life of the clergy of collegiate churches and cathedrals in the primicerius is passed as the third in the ranking of the chapter after the archdeacon and the Archi presbyter; he was the superior of the lower clergy and conducted the liturgy and song. In this form of primicerius was an evolution of the previous primicerii the scola cantorum or Lectorum.