Servia and the Servians 1862 William Denton

88 SEBYI.4. AND THE SEBYI.A.118.
often of considerable extent, around the walls of their
-respective monasteries, and have, therefore, the same
claim for a maintenance as the rest of their clerical
brethren. The income allotted to the bishops is paid
directly by the Government, and is the compensation
given to them for the ancient landed property of their
.respective sees, which was confiscated during the times
.of Turkish occupation. •
Each diocese is divided into three or four portions,
'following the secular arrangement of the country into
departments, and over each of these divisions an archpriest
is appointed by the bishop of the diocese. Thes~
with one archdeacon for the whole diocese, constitute
the assistants of the bishop. These divisions regulate
~he mode of episcopal visitation. Thus, for instance,
Schabatz has three departments, and consequently,
three arch-priest,s ; and every year the bishop visits the
churches of each of these divisions, thus making a
visitation of his whole diocese in three years. This is
in accordance with the ancient canons of the Church.
The course of education for the priesthood lasts four
years, which is spent by the candidate for orders at the
seminary at Belgrade. At this seminary all who are to
be parish priests, monks, or schoolmasters, are required
to attend, and until the whole time has been completeq;
none are eligible for any of these offices.
The parochia.l clergy whom I met with in Servia
seemed to me to have much the same relative position
to their fl.ocks which their brethren possess in England.
They ar~ much respected and their marriage and life in
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