The canons
Cité épiscopale d’Albi
A canon is a member of the clergy living in or around, and according to the rules of a particular church.
In the High Middle Ages the word could refer to certain laypersons attached to the church.
The Canons of Saint-Salvi are secular clerics devoted to pastoral ministry; collectively they form a chapter, headed by an abbot or a provost.
The chapter of a monastic order is an assembly of religious persons, reunited in the conditions and for the reasons defined by ’the Rule.’ The word ’chapter’ designates primarily the meeting during which monks come together to discuss monastery business, hear a sermon or lecture, or receive instructions from the abbot, and which begins with a reading of a ’chapter’ from the rule book of the religious order.
