History

Although the present structure of the church is not its original, it is the oldest place of worship in St. Clears; indeed it is thought to be one of the oldest churches in the country.

Origins

The foundation date is unknown, but it is likely to have been shortly after the arrival of the Normans and the building of St Clears's castle in the late 11th or early 12th century: there is no evidence that a church or settlement existed on the present site of St Clears prior to the Norman invasion. From sometime between 1147 and 1184 AD it became the church of the Cluniac Priory of St Clears, but it also served as the parish church.

The dedication to St Mary Magdelene (the only such dedication in the whole of the diocese of St David's), probably reflects the association with the Cluniac Priory at Barnstaple, but the place name 'St Clears' may indicate that the church was earlier and originally dedicated to St Clarus, a 'Celtic' saint whose cult was introduced into the west country following the Norman conquest.

The Priory

The Priory was once a 'cell' of the mother house of St Martin Des Champs, Paris: the only other house in Wales was at Malpas near Newport, Monmouthshire. There were two houses in England, at Exeter and Barnstaple.

St Clears Priory was never a large establishment ‑ one Prior and two monks are the maximum recorded. The Prior attended annual meetings of the general chapter in Paris and was occasionally summoned to Barnstaple. On one such occasion in 1297, it was reported that "the Prior and his companions were living evil lives and the property was in a bad state". The Prior had appropriated church funds for his own use and one John Soyer was leading a dissolute life.

As an 'alien' ie foreign priory, whenever warfare broke out between England and France, the property and revenues were confiscated by the English Crown. Thus periodically in the 14th century, the vicars of St Clears and Llanglydwen (which along with the church of Llangynin had been appropriated to St Clears) were appointed by the crown and the revenues diverted at the king's whim to his nominees.

Along with other alien priories it was dissolved in 1414. Its property, income and the right of appointing its vicar were granted in 1446 to All Souls College, Oxford. This right survived until 1920 when following Disestablishment, the Church in Wales became responsible for the appointment of the vicar. All Souls College continue to make a token annual grant to the St Clears church, originally for repair of the chancel.

The priory buildings adjoined the church on its south side and extended into the enclosure long known as 'Parc Priordy' or 'Priory Field'. Some upstanding remains were noted in the 17th century and buried foundations have recently been identified by geophysical survey.