How the market town of Šoštanj almost obtained an independent parish during the Josephinian church reforms

A fragment from the church administrative history of the market town of Šoštanj

Abstract

The article discusses the establishment of the expositur of St. Hermagoras and St. Fortunatus in the market town of Šoštanj within the framework of the Josephinian church reforms or, more accurately, the redrawing of parish boundaries. The expositur, having existed between 1787 and 1804, encompassed the market town of Šoštanj and Lokovica with a total population of 594 people. The newly established quasi-parish, which strongly relied on the Šoštanj spittal prebendary in terms of its personnel and financial resources, was throughout led by the former spittal prebendary Martin Andrej Okorn. Okorn, who served both as a curate prebendary and an expositus, endeavoured for the conversion of the expositur into a local chaplaincy and for the elevation of the congrua, which ultimately did not happen due to the insufficient funds in the Styrian religious fund. After Okorn’s death in 1804, the expositur was dissolved and incorporated into the parish of St. Michael near Šoštanj.