St Andrews Cathedral Priory facts for kids
The St Andrews Cathedral Priory was a special religious home for a group of priests called Augustinian canons. It was located in St Andrews, Scotland. This priory was one of the most important religious places in Scotland. It also played a huge part in starting the University of St Andrews.
Contents
History of the Priory
How the Priory Started
Plans for the priory began during the time of Alexander I of Scotland. He set aside land for it. The priory was finally built in 1140 by King David I and his son. Augustinian canons from a place called Nostell Priory in England came to live there.
For a while, these canons shared the church with another group of religious people called Culdees. The Culdees had their own altar in the Cathedral. The Augustinians, however, were the main clergy and used the main altar. The bishop probably wanted the Culdees to become Augustinians. By 1250, the Culdees who did not want to join the Augustinians moved to the Church of St Mary on the Rock.
Life at the Priory
The canons at the priory took care of the shrine of St Andrew. The big cathedral next door was their church. They also built a hospital to help people. Sadly, 24 canons died in 1349 when the black plague reached St Andrews. Later, the priory faced changes. In the 1500s, followers of John Knox damaged the cathedral and the priory.
What the Priory Owned
The priory, like other large monasteries, had several smaller religious places connected to it:
- St Serf's Inch Priory: This was an old Culdee place from 838. King David I changed it into an Augustinian priory linked to St Andrews in 1150.
- Monymusk Priory: Founded in the late 1100s, this place also had Culdees. By 1245, it became an Augustinian priory.
- Isle of May Priory: This was first a Benedictine priory. It was often attacked by Vikings. In 1288, the monks sold the island. It was then given to the canons of St Andrews.
- Pittenweem Priory: This priory was started in the early 1100s for Augustinian canons. In 1318, the Augustinians from the Isle of May Priory moved here.
- Portmoak Chapel: This was a Culdee chapel. Around 1150, King David gave this chapel and the priory on St Serf’s Island to the Augustinians of St Andrews.
The priory's lands were divided up in the 1500s. However, the main part and its name lasted into the 1600s. The Priory of St Andrews also owned the land where Rufflets Hotel is now.
Today, parts of the priory buildings are still standing. You can see them at the St Andrews Cathedral Museum. A piece of the wall from the priory's guest house is also left. The Pends is a large stone gatehouse from the mid-1300s. It was the main entrance to the priory. The site is protected as a scheduled monument, along with St Andrews Cathedral.
How the Priory Helped Start the University
Around 1410, a school for higher learning was started in St Andrews by Prior James Biset. A group of Augustinians came from other universities. They had to leave because of wars and disagreements. They formed a group in St Andrews to teach subjects like religion, logic, philosophy, and law. The Bishop of St Andrews, Henry Wardlaw, gave this new school a special document called a charter. This charter gave the teachers and students special rights.
See also
- Prior of St Andrews, for a list of the leaders of the priory
