Priory
A Priory is an ecclesiastical circumscription run by a Prior.
Monastic unit
A 'regular' priory is a Monastery governed by a Prior or prioress, usually Catholic. An alien priory is a priory which is dependent on a foreign mother house, and an alien priory cell was a residence of two or three monks dependent on a foreign mother house but sent to exploit a distant estate. Alien priory cells were suppressed in 1414.Strictly speaking, a priory is a secondary house created by an existing Abbey, but this distinction fell out of use in late mediaeval times.
Priories were generally organized as follows:
The Prior was the head of the priory, and although he oversaw most aspects of the running of the priory, many specific supervisory positions existed to help him manage the priory.
The sub prior was essentially a deputy prior and the second in command.
There could be various other lower, functional positions, depending on the size and activities of the priory, such as :
- the sacrist, second only to the prior and sub prior, who was in charge of everything holy, including services, books and relics
- a circuitor, the monk in charge of discipline
- a novice-master who supervised the novice monks
- the cellarer, who provided for the monks practical needs for daily life, such as supplies
- a librarian, who managed the books
- the cantor, who supervised (choir) music
- a chamberlain, in charge of clothing
- a kitchener, in charge of food
- a guest-master, in charge of seeing to the priory's guests
- an infirmerer, who took care of the sick and the elderly monks
- a treasurer, who supervised the priory's jewels, ornaments, and vestaments
- the almoner who managed alms distributed to the poor.
The prior was elected by a majority vote of the monks. At election times the votes were all counted equally from the youngest novice up to the sub prior. Often the local Bishop would endorse a candidate, however the election was left entirely up to the monks.
Ken Follet's Historical novel The Pillars of the Earth provides the reader with an accurate (albeit fictional) representation of priory life in 12th-centry England. The relationships between individual priory members, between neighboring priories, and between the priory & diocese are well documented.
- There exist also offices using the title prior at a higher level of an order's organization, such as a Prior provincilis, in a province of (only?) the order of Decalced Augustinians
- A special case is the ecumenical priory of the Taizé Community.
Other prior and priories
In some abbeys, there also was a prior, but as the deputy of the Abbot.Other congregations may have independent priories that depend in no way on an abbey, and may even have been founded independently.
Furthermore, a priory (or priorate) can be part of a military order that is headed by a knight, styled prior but more often a warrior or administrator than a member, and usually not a clergyman (often the office is opened only to laymen).