Our Lady's Priory, Aarhus

Our Lady's Priory, Aarhus (Danish: Vor Frue Kloster) was an early Dominican foundation just outside the original walls of Aarhus, Denmark. The buildings are part of the Church of Our Lady complex, now part of the inner city of Aarhus, but they have been repurposed.

The exact date of the founding of Our Lady's Priory is unknown. One source, in an aside, says it was founded about 1227. The first Dominican community was established at Toulouse in 1223, so if the priory was indeed in existence by 1227, then it was a very early Dominican house. Another source in a similarly casual manner suggests 1239. Certainly by 1240 a Dominican priory was established just outside the walls of Aarhus, Jutland's largest town.

The placement of the priory was in conjunction with the still-extant church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke) which had been built in 1080 on the site of the chapel of St Nicholas' Spring, and served as the cathedral church in Aarhus from 1180. The earlier chapel had been constructed in about 1060 when Bishop Christian arrived to organize the Diocese of Aarhus. The recently rediscovered crypt church beneath the choir of the Vor Frue Kirke is perhaps the oldest surviving stone church in Scandinavia, dating from the reign of Sven Estridsen. When a new cathedral church was built, the Dominicans were given the use of the old church, to which they added a new choir and sacristy; by 1250 it had become the south range of the priory. The church's Gothic nave was added in 1350 and a side aisle in 1450. The tower was added in 1500. A new altar piece was carved by Claus Berg about 1530 and may still be seen in the church today.

By the time of the Reformation the four-storey priory complex had grown extensively.

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