Deanery, administrative unit between a parish and a Diocese aimed at promoting pastoral care through common action. The dean presiding the deanery is one of the priests, to whom several of the surrounding parishes are subordinate. Traditionally, administrative tasks and assistance to the priests of the deanery belonged to the dean´s principal duties. In 1999, the 230 deaneries of the Austrian Catholic church were distributed as follows: Wien-Stadt 20, Wien-Nord 18, Wien-Sued 18, St. Poelten 25, Linz 39, Eisenstadt 12, Salzburg 20, Graz-Seckau 26, Gurk-Klagenfurt 24, Innsbruck 19, Feldkirch 9.
Literature#H. Schwendenwein, Das neue Kirchenrecht, 1983; Schematismen der Dioezesen Oesterreichs 1991-93.