Editing Cathedral (section)

===Personnel===
[[File:Sicilia Noto1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|[[Noto Cathedral]], [[Sicily]], [[Italy]]]]
Just as the status of the bishop was transformed at the Peace of the Church; so too was that of the male clergy. With the bishop now resident in the ''episcopium'' the other male clergy came to be recognised as his formal ''familia'', in mark of which male clergy now received the [[tonsure]] by shaving of their heads; this being originally a Roman badge of adoption. The early church had recognised the orders of bishop, presbyter (priest) and deacon, but a range of [[minor orders]] had since grown up in addition; and all were tonsured. These orders now tended to be understood as clerical 'ranks', equivalent to those in the military, such that the male clergy are now often referred to as a "clerical militia". And as in the Roman military or civil service, promotion was expected to follow the principle of ''[[cursus honorum]]'', rising through the ranks, with the expectation that ideally, a minimum period would be served in each. The female orders of virgin, widow and (female) deacon remained explicitly outside the bishop's familia; and so they did not receive the tonsure and nor did they progress through the ''cursus honorum''. But all orders of cathedral clergy, male and female, increased dramatically in numbers. Around 540 [[Justinian]] ordered that the clerical payroll of [[Hagia Sophia]] be strictly limited to 60 presbyters, 100 male deacons, 90 subdeacons, 110 lectors, 25 singers, 100 doorkeepers and 40 female deacons; 525 in all.

====Bishops====
Bishops were at the head of the local church; but not explicitly within the ''cursus honorum'', as appointment was by election from the local clergy and people. The clergy tended to favour appointment of bishops from within the ranks of cathedral presbyters; but local lay choice often tended rather to outsiders, either a spectacular holy man, hermit or ascetic; or otherwise a senior civil servant or diplomat, who might have favourable contacts to exploit at court. But most bishops came from the ''[[curiales|curial]]'' class, that is those holding the hereditary rank of [[decurion (administrative)|decurion]] with the obligation to serve on the city council, as only persons of this class and above would be likely to have a full rhetorical education in Greek and Latin grammar; without which it was not possible for a boy raised with a knowledge only of Late Antique vernacular speech to express himself in approved classical linguistic forms.

====Priests and archpriests====
[[File:Catedral da Sé em São Paulo.jpg|thumb|[[São Paulo Cathedral]] in [[Brazil]] is a representative modern cathedral built in [[Gothic Revival architecture|Neo-Gothic]] style.]]
It was expected that the normal president at both the Eucharist and Baptism would be the bishop, who would celebrate in the cathedral and in titular churches in turn. However, in practice, the bishop needed deputies for the Eucharist and also for the [[Canonical hours|Divine Office]] of daily prayer, and this duty fell to the priests. The bishop selected a senior priest as [[archpriest]] who acted as his official deputy in all ritual matters and as head of the familia. The archpriest was also responsible for the cathedral school. After the 5th century, there were no longer state-supported secular teachers of [[rhetoric]] and [[grammar]] in the West (other than in parts of Italy) and so the church would have to educate its own.

====Deacons, subdeacons and archdeacons====

Just as the presbyters deputised for the bishop in ritual matters, so the deacons deputised in administrative and financial matters, especially in the raising and delivering of charity. At the head of the diaconate was the archdeacon; the bishop's main deputy in managerial affairs. Originally inferior in rank to the archpriest, the archdeacon by the sixth century had established clear pre-eminence. Subdeacons assisted the deacons, but unlike them were allowed to marry after ordination; consequently many clerics stopped the cursus honorum at this point, and it was not unusual for a subdeacon to be elected bishop; and even Pope.

====Doorkeepers, exorcists, lectors, acolytes and primicerius====
In practice, the first three of these orders tended to be given together, and were typically applied to boys as young as seven. These boy lectors were too young for the grammar school, but were valued as choristers, and so were included in the ''[[Schola Cantorum]]'' or choir school. Originally under the responsibility of the deacons, the organisation of choirs was reformed by Pope [[Gregory the Great]], who introduced the office of ''[[primicerius]]'' or head cantor for this purpose. This proved a vital reform; as without any comprehensive system of musical notation, the only way that sacred music could be maintained and passed on was through professional choirs of sound musical training undertaking cathedral worship&nbsp;– and such skills are not guaranteed to be present in high-ranking ecclesiastics.

====Women's orders: virgins, widows and deaconesses====

These orders had been of considerable importance in earlier centuries; but tended to be sidelined in cathedrals from the 4th century onwards. So long as adult baptism continued as a regular occurrence, female deacons would continue to be needed for that service; but otherwise the main factor maintaining these orders was a knock-on effect from the rule of continence applied to bishops, presbyters and deacons. When a man became ordained, and moved into the episcopium with the rest of the bishop's ''familia''; then there would usually also be a requirement for support to their mothers, wives and daughters; and the orders of widows and virgins respectively continued largely for this purpose.