Term

Papal State

Also known as States of the Church

A political designation for the area of central Italy under the temporal sovereignty of the pope until the 19th-century unification of Italy.

Filed underChurch History

Definition

(States of the Church) A political designation for the area of central Italy, of varying size at different times, under the temporal sovereignty of the pope until the unification of Italy in the 19th century.

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Sources

  1. 1.Jerald C. Brauer and B. A. Gerrish, ed. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971). 633Original citation: Brauer, Jerald C., and B. A. Gerrish, eds. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971, 633.

Last revised August 14, 2026