Obedientiary
In the Middle Ages, an obedientiary or obedienciary (from the Latin obedientiarius, meaning someone in an 'obedient', i.e. subordinate, position) was a lesser official of a monastery appointed by will of the superior. In some cases the word is used to include all those who held office beneath the abbot, but more frequently the prior and sub-prior -who technically qualify in an abbacy- are excluded from those signified by it. Functions To the obedientiaries were assigned the various duties pertaining to their different offices and they possessed considerable power in their own departments. There was always a right of appeal to the abbot or equivalent superior, but in practice most details were settled by the "customary" of the monastery. Permanent functions The list that follows gives the usual titles of the obedientiaries, but in some monasteries other names were used and other official positions may be found: thus, for example, to this day, in the great Swiss monastery of Einsiedeln the name "dean" is given to the official who is called prior in all other Benedictine houses. (1) The "cantor" or "precentor", usually assisted by a "sub-cantor", or "succentor". (2) The sacrist, or sacristan, who had charge of the monastic