Lancaster Priory
| Lancaster Priory | |
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| Priory Church of St Mary | |
Lancaster Priory
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 Lancaster Priory
Location in Lancaster
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| Coordinates: 54°03′03″N 2°48′21″W / 54.0507°N 2.8057°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 474,619 |
| Location | Lancaster, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Lancaster Priory |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 22 December 1953 |
| Architect(s) | Henry Sephton Paley and Austin Austin and Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 900 |
| Length | 145 feet (44 m) |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Spire height | 96 feet (29 m) |
| Materials |
Sandstone Slate and lead roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Lancaster St Mary with St John and St Anne |
| Deanery | Lancaster |
| Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd Chris Newlands |
| Assistant priest(s) | Revd Jill Novell, Revd Dr Anderson Jeremiah, Revd Canon Prof. John Rodwell |
| Curate(s) | Revd Dr Rebecca Aechtner |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Prof Richard G. Carter, Jim Garbett, Lois C Kirtley, Canon Christine Mullineaux |
| Director of music | Don Gillthorpe |
| Organist(s) | Ian Pattinson, |
| Churchwarden(s) | Ken Maunder, Dr Tim Jenkinson |
| Parish administrator | Bron England |
Lancaster Priory, formally the Priory Church of St Mary, is the Church of England parish church of the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and since 1953 has been designated a Grade I listed building. It is in the deanery of Lancaster, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is combined with that of St John and St Anne.
It is likely that a Roman building existed on the site prior to others, possibly around the year 200. A Saxon church is thought to have stood on the site from the sixth century. In 1912 excavations revealed a wall beneath the present chancel area which may be from Roman times, and a small Saxon doorway has been exposed in the west wall of the present nave.
In 1094 Roger de Poitou established a Benedictine priory, dedicated to St Mary, as a cell of the Abbey of Saint Martin of Sées in Normandy, France. Around 1360 the nave was widened to about 49 feet (15 m). In 1431 the church was transferred from Sées to Syon Abbey near London, and following this there was a major reconstruction in Perpendicular style. In 1539 this Catholic monastic institution was abolished by Henry VIII and the following year the priory became a parish church. A restoration of the church occurred in 1558.
In 1743 it was decided to raise the steeple 10 yards higher so that the bells could be heard better, and the bells were also to be re-cast. In 1753, the tower was determined to be in danger of falling down, so the bells were removed from it. Henry Sephton was commissioned to demolish and rebuild the tower. In 1759 a new tower was erected, which still stands.
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