View source for St Andrews Cathedral Priory

{{Short description|Priory in Fife, Scotland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
'''St Andrews Cathedral Priory''' was a [[priory]] of [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] [[canon (priest)|canons]] in [[St Andrews]], [[Fife]], [[Scotland]]. It was one of the great religious houses in Scotland, and instrumental in the founding of the [[University of St Andrews]].<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13332b.htm Allaria, Anthony. "Priory of Saint Andrews." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 25 August 2022 {{PD-notice}}</ref>

==History==
Plans were made for its foundation in the reign of [[Alexander I of Scotland]], who set aside some land (in the area known as the ''Cursus Apri'', or "Boar's Raik") for that purpose. It was finally established by [[David I of Scotland|King David I]] and his son in 1140 with [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] canons from [[Nostell Priory]], [[West Yorkshire]]. For some time the canons and the [[Culdees]] of nearby [[Church of St Mary on the Rock|Kilrymont monastery]] served the church together. The Culdees, headed by an abbot, served a side altar in the Cathedral throughout the twelfth century and into the thirteenth century, while the Augustinians, as the main clergy of the cathedral, served the main altar.<ref>Cowan, Ian B., & Easson, David E., ''Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland, With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man'', 2nd Ed. (Longman, London and New York, 1976) p. 96, {{ISBN|0-582-12069-1}}</ref> It is probable that the bishop intended that the Culdees would become Augustinians; however, although a papal bull of 1147 ordered that upon the death of each Culdee an Augustinian should take his place, they were still there in 1199 when the priory recognised their holdings to be permanent. By 1250, those Culdees who declined to become Augustinians moved to the [[Church of St Mary on the Rock]] at Kilrymont.<ref>Barrow, G.W.S., "The Clergy at St Andrews", in G.W.S. Barrow (ed.), ''The Kingdom of the Scots'', (Edinburgh, 2003), pp.&nbsp;189–202</ref>

The canons managed the shrine of St Andrew, and the adjacent cathedral functioned as their monastery church. They also established a hospital.<ref>[http://www.jstor.org/stable/25529819 Duncan, A. A. M. “The Foundation of St Andrews Cathedral Priory, 1140.” ''The Scottish Historical Review'', vol. 84, no. 217, 2005, pp. 1–37. JSTOR]</ref> Twenty-four canons died in 1349, when the [[black plague]] came to St. Andrews. Later lay-priors or [[Commendatory abbot|commendatories]] were introduced; relaxations and irregularities crept in. Instigated by the fiery preaching of [[John Knox]], his followers ransacked the cathedral and the priory.

==Holdings==
The priory, like all the great monasteries, had a number of dependent establishments:
* [[St Serf's Inch Priory]] - a Culdee establishment dating from 838, converted to an Augustinian priory linked to St Andrews Cathedral Priory at the instigation of King [[David I of Scotland]] in 1150.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09319b.htm Hunter-Blair, Oswald. "Lochleven." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 25 August 2022 {{PD-notice}}</ref>
* [[Monymusk Priory]] - founded by [[Gille Críst, Earl of Mar|Gille Críst]], [[Mormaer]] of Mar, in the last decade of the 12th century, There were Culdees there, who retained many of their rights. The transformation of the Culdee community into an Augustinian priory was complete by 1245 at the latest.
* [[Isle of May Priory]] - originally a [[Benedictine]] priory dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin, with a shrine to [[Adrian of May]]. Subjected to raiding parties of Scandinavians from [[Orkney]], the privations and isolation of the location finally led the monks of [[Reading Abbey]] to sell the island in 1288 to Bishop [[William Fraser (bishop of St Andrews)|William Fraser]], who gave it the canons of St. Andrews.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/archaeology-secrets-of-st-adrian-s-isle-the-monks-left-may-long-ago-and-today-instead-of-pilgrims-it-attracts-tourists-and-historians-including-david-keys-1381389.html Keys, David. "Archaeology: Secrets of St Adrian's isle: The monks left May long ago, and today instead of pilgrims it attracts tourists and historians, including David Keys", ''The Independent'', 3 August 1994]</ref>
* [[Pittenweem Priory]] - founded in the early 12th century for Augustine canons.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Np8HAAAAQAAJ&dq=Fillan+of+Pittenweem&pg=PA161 Farnie, Henry Brougham. "Pittenweem", ''The Fife coast from Queensferry to Fifeness'', Fife. J.C. Orr, 1860, p. 161]</ref> In 1318, the Augustinians from the Isle of May Priory relocated to [[Pittenweem]].
* Portmoak Chapel - a chapel of the Culdees, dedicated to [[Monan (saint)|St. Monan]]. The chapel is identified with St Moak (an alternative name for St Monan) who gave his name to the area. About 1150 King David passed the Priory on St Serf’s Island and the chapel at Portmoak to the Augustinian [[regular clergy|regular]] of St. Andrews.<ref>[http://www.kinross-shirecivictrust.org/portmoak_priory.htm "The Chapel of Portmoak", The Kinross-Shire Civic Trust]</ref>

The priory lands were carved up into lordships in the 16th century, although the core and title remained into the 17th century. The Priory of St Andrews also used to own the land now used by [[Rufflets Hotel]], located between Strathkinness and St Andrews itself.

Portions of the east and south ranges of what was originally the cathedral's priory are preserved as the St Andrews Cathedral Museum. A remnant of the wall relating to the priory's guest house remains. The Pends is a mid 14th century large stone gatehouse of the priory and was the main entrance. The site is protected, together with [[St Andrews Cathedral]], as a [[scheduled monument]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=SM13322|desc=St Andrews Cathedral and Priory and adjacent ecclesiastical remains|access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>

==University of St Andrews==
Around [[Whitsuntide]] 1410 a school of higher studies was established at St Andrews by Prior James Biset. A group of Augustinians, driven from the [[University of Paris]] by the [[Western Schism|Avignon schism]] and from the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] by the [[Anglo-Scottish Wars]], formed a society of higher learning in St Andrews, which offered courses of lectures in divinity, logic, philosophy, and law. A [[charter]] of privilege was bestowed upon the society of masters and scholars by the [[Archbishop of St Andrews|Bishop of St Andrews]], [[Henry Wardlaw]].<ref name="Wardlaw, Henry, d.1440, Bishop of St Andrews">{{Cite DNB|last=Sprott |first=George Washington |wstitle=Wardlaw, Henry|volume=59|pages=352-353}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Prior of St Andrews]], for a list of priors and commendators

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Catholic|wstitle=Priory of Saint Andrews}}

==Bibliography==
* Butler, D. ''Scottish Cathedrals and Abbeys'', The Guild Library, A&C Black, 1901, [https://archive.org/details/scottishcathedra00butl/page/122/mode/2up pp. 123-4]
* Duncan, A.A.M., "The Foundation of St Andrews Cathedral Priory, 1140", in The Scottish Historical Review, vol 84, (April, 2005), pp.&nbsp;1–37
* Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), ''The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries'', The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp.&nbsp;187–92

==External links==
* [https://www.ladebraes.net/abbey-mill/ "Abbey Mill", Lade Braes]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andrews Cathedral Priory}}
[[Category:1140 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:Augustinian monasteries in Scotland]]
[[Category:History of Fife]]
[[Category:Religion in Fife]]
[[Category:St Andrews]]
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 1140s]]
[[Category:Category A listed buildings in Fife]]
[[Category:Listed monasteries in Scotland]]
[[Category:Culdees]]
[[Category:Scheduled monuments in Fife]]
[[Category:Former Christian monasteries in Scotland]]