Abstract: the article describes the sources that regulate marriage and family relations. The article evaluates the historical normative material concerning such institutions of family law as marriage and the family. The authors analyze the legal constructions of these legal categories proposed in the theory of family law. According to the results of the work, it was concluded that the sacral categories were actively engaged in improving the marital status, creating favorable conditions for strengthening family relations, increasing the value and authority of the family. The authors believe that in order to flourish spiritually, the Church must protect its political and economic status. At times, caught between the conflicting, aggressive policies of rival secular rulers or kingdoms, it sought to strengthen its political position in order to maintain its ability to fulfill its spiritual mission. Pontiffs used Church incest laws to promote the papacy’s worldly aspirations, especially in matrimonial matters related to the Imperial schism. The main goal of the Pope was to protect the authority of the papacy and the Church from attacks by secular authorities in areas such as marriage, where it believed that it had legitimate spiritual interests.
Keywords: marriage, family, Canon law, religious law