Legal Definitions - luminare

A luminare was a historical term referring to a small lamp or candle kept burning on a church altar. What made a luminare distinct was that its ongoing maintenance and fuel costs were specifically funded by income generated from designated lands or rental properties.

• Example 1: In medieval England, a wealthy merchant, wishing to honor his deceased parents, might have endowed a local parish church with a small cottage. The legal agreement stipulated that the rental income from this cottage was to be used exclusively to purchase oil for a specific lamp kept perpetually lit on the main altar.

  Explanation: This illustrates a luminare because a specific property (the cottage) was designated to provide the financial means (rental income) for the upkeep of a particular altar lamp.

• Example 2: A monastery might have owned several farms that were leased to tenants. A monastic charter could legally dedicate the annual rents from one particular farm to cover the costs of all the candles and lamps used in the monastery's main chapel, ensuring a constant supply of light for services.

  Explanation: Here, the income from a specific piece of land (the farm) was legally earmarked to fund the maintenance of multiple lights within the church, fitting the definition of a luminare.

• Example 3: A nobleman, in his last will and testament, might have bequeathed a portion of the rents from his estate to the local cathedral. His will specified that these funds were to be used to maintain a perpetual candle on a side altar dedicated to a particular saint, in perpetuity.

  Explanation: This scenario demonstrates a luminare where a legal instrument (a will) established the ongoing financial support (rents from an estate) for a specific candle on a church altar.