The church was raised to the status of a collegiate church by letters under the seal of
Donatus Ó Muireadhaigh, the
Archbishop of Tuam, on 28 September 1484, the same year in which Galway was granted a
royal charter and given
mayoral status. The granting of collegiate status was confirmed on 8 September 1485 by a
papal bull issued by
Pope Innocent VIII (
Super Dominicum Gregem). Both events were commemorated in the
Galway quincentennial year, 1984. The granting of collegiate status in 1484 required that the City of Galway and some surrounding parishes be severed from the Archdiocese of Tuam. The priests of the city were constituted into a College of
Vicars, the senior of whom was called the
warden. The warden, a position and title unique in Irish ecclesiastical history, was the
spiritual leader of the city and was entitled to wear attire traditionally associated with a
bishop (such as the
mitre and
crosier), while not having the power of
ordination. The warden and eight assisting
vicars choral were elected every year in August by the mayor and members of the Corporation (city council) as then constituted. The warden presented himself for election every year; there was to be an election for the post of vicar only when there was a vacancy. The vicars were elected from the
secular clergy, for life. The clergy were to be learned, virtuous and well-bred, and were to observe the
English Rite and custom in the
Divine Service. At first, only the city and the parish of
Claregalway constituted the wardenship. However, by the end of the century, the parishes of
Oranmore and
Maree,
Oughterard,
Rahoon,
Moycullen and
Skryne were included. The Archbishop of Tuam retained some vaguely defined visitation rights. The
Protestant Reformation saw the creation of a second
Anglican Wardenship that enjoyed the sponsorship of the government and an underground
Roman Catholic Wardenship. The Anglican wardenship, however, never enjoyed popular support. These Wardenships continued until the early 19th century. The Anglican Wardenship was discontinued by the Church of Ireland and replaced by the parish of Galway under the care of a
rector, while the Roman Catholic Wardenship was discontinued by the
Holy See and the city and a large area of its hinterland was reconstituted as the
Diocese of Galway. ==Historical notes==