Hispana collectio

canon law

Also known as: “Collectio canonum Isidoriana”

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June 29, 2026

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The Hispana (or Spanish Collection) was a significant compilation of canon law that emerged in Spain. It integrated canons from various councils, including those of Nicaea and Chalcedon, along with African canons and Roman papal decrees. This collection became influential, eventually superseding earlier ones in Spain.1

Canon law itself refers to the codified laws that govern a church. The development of canon law in the West involved a complex interplay of councils, papal pronouncements, and regional traditions, with the Hispana playing a key role in shaping legal practices in Spain and influencing other regions.21

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St. Isidore of Sevilla
…the original edition of the Hispana collectio, the canon law of the Spanish church sometimes known as the Collectio canonum Isidoriana (“The Collection of the Canons of Isidore”); a mid-9th-century enlarged edition of the Hispana, falsely attributed to Isidore, is now called the Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals. He was canonized by Pope…
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…the original edition of the Hispana collectio, the canon law of the Spanish church sometimes known as the Collectio canonum Isidoriana (“The Collection of the Canons of Isidore”); a mid-9th-century enlarged edition of the Hispana, falsely attributed to Isidore, is now called the Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals. He was canonized by Pope…
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canon law
Development of canon law in the West
…own canons, but the later Hispana (Spanish collection) crowded out all earlier collections. The Council of Elvira (295–314) in Spain was the first that set up a more complete legislation, followed by Gaul in the first Council of Arles in 314. Texts from the East, Spain, and Rome, including the…
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…own canons, but the later Hispana (Spanish collection) crowded out all earlier collections. The Council of Elvira (295–314) in Spain was the first that set up a more complete legislation, followed by Gaul in the first Council of Arles in 314. Texts from the East, Spain, and Rome, including the…
Read More