Curia
A
curia, plural
curiae, is an assembly, council, or court, in which public, official, or religious issues are discussed and decisions made. In ancient Rome, the entire populace was divided into thirty curiae, which met in order to confirm the election of magistrates, witness the installation of priests, the making of wills, and adoptions. Lesser curiae existed for other purposes. The word
curia also came to be applied to meeting places where various assemblies gathered, especially the meeting house of the senate. Similar institutions existed in other towns and cities of Italy. In medieval times, a king's council was frequently referred to as a
curia. Today, the most famous curia is the Curia of the Roman Catholic Church which assists the Roman Pontiff in conducting the business of the Church.