Prior (eclesiástico)

La Orden Benedictina y sus ramas, la Orden Premonstratense y las órdenes militares tienen tres tipos de priores: ^{[ 1 ]}

• el claustral previo
• el prior conventual
• el obediente anterior

The Claustral prior (Latin prior claustralis), called dean in a few monasteries, holds the first place after the abbot (or grand-master in military orders), whom he assists in the government of the monastery, functioning effectively as the abbot's second-in-charge. He has no ordinary jurisdiction by virtue of his office, since he performs the duties of his office entirely according to the will and under the direction of the abbot. Therefore, his jurisdiction is delegated and extends just as far as the abbot desires, or the congregation's constitutions prescribe. He is appointed by the abbot, generally after a consultation in chapter with the professed monks of the monastery, and may be removed by him at any time.^[1]

In many monasteries, especially larger ones, the claustral prior is assisted by a sub-prior, who holds the third place in the monastery. In former times, there were larger monasteries, besides the prior and the sub-prior, as well as a third, fourth, and sometimes even a fifth prior. Each of these was called circa (or circator), because it was his duty to make the rounds of the monastery to see whether anything was amiss and whether the brethren were intent on the work allotted to them respectively. He had no authority to correct or punish the brethren, but was to report to the claustral prior whatever he found amiss or contrary to the rules. In the Congregation of Cluny and others of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth centuries there was also a greater prior (prior major) who preceded the claustral prior in dignity and, besides assisting the abbot in the government of the monastery, had some delegated jurisdiction over external dependencies of the abbey.^[1] In the high days of Cluny, the abbot was assisted by a coadjutor styled Grand-Prior (Grand-prieur in French).

The Conventual prior (Latin prior conventualis) is the independent superior of a monastery that is not an abbey (and which is therefore called a "priory").^[1] In some orders, like the Benedictines, a monastery remains a priory until it is considered stable enough and large enough to be elevated to the rank of an abbey. In other Orders, like the Camaldolese and Carthusians, conventual priors are the norm and there are no abbots. (The superior of the major houses of Camaldolese nuns, however, is called an abbess.)

Este título, en su forma femenina priora , se utiliza para los monasterios de monjas de las órdenes dominica y carmelita.

Un prior obediencia dirige un monasterio creado como filial de una abadía. Cuando una abadía crece demasiado o cuando se necesita un monasterio en una nueva zona, el abad puede nombrar a un grupo de monjes bajo la dirección de un prior para fundar un nuevo monasterio. Este monasterio permanece dependiente de la abadía madre hasta que alcanza el tamaño y la estabilidad suficientes para convertirse en una abadía independiente.

Un Prior Provincial es el superior regional de ciertas Órdenes, como la Orden de los Predicadores Dominicos o la de los Carmelitas . En este último caso, el jefe de toda la Orden se llama Prior General .

Entre las comunidades de frailes, al segundo superior se le llama subprior, y su cargo es similar al del prior claustral en la Orden Benedictina. ^{[ 1 ]}