Libri de status animarum, also known simply as status animarum, parish census records, registers of souls, or records of souls.

In Slovenia, these books began to be kept more extensively in the mid-18th century, although in some exceptional cases they were introduced earlier. The language used was generally Latin, but entries in German can also be found. As a rule, one page was assigned to each house number; however, there are cases where several house numbers were entered on a single page or where one house number extended across two pages. In terms of form, the status animarum resembles parish registers.

Unlike parish registers, the status animarum was not an official document. Therefore, keeping such records was not prescribed by law but merely recommended. For this reason, these books were not inspected during canonical visitations.

The records were compiled in much the same way as modern population censuses. Information was collected on the basis of oral statements, and the accuracy of the data depended on the testimony of those involved. Consequently, errors are frequently found in the status animarum.

Example from practice:

The status animarum records three children.

However, the parish registers list eleven children.