Around 1124, an Augustinian priory was founded at Breedon. Canons (monks who were also priests) worshipped in the current church and built cloisters to the north of the church. A new nave was built to the west of the church for the use of the local villagers, making the church twice the size it is now. Side aisles were added to both halves of the church in the 13^th century, although this meant moving the whole of the nave of the church to the south, creating a very odd looking west wall. For more information, see here.

The priory was very poor and did not manage its finances well. In 1441, the Bishop of Lincoln visited the monastery and found it was in such a poor state that he had to meet the canons in the church rather than the chapter house. By the time the priory closed in 1539, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, there was only one canon at the priory, and he may even have been living at Nostell Priory, not Breedon. 

After the priory’s closure, the villagers took over the canon’s part of the church and their own nave was demolished. The stone from this was probably used to build many of the buildings in the surrounding villages, including the Breedon lockup, which you will find located on Main Street.

In the late 18^th century, after part of the church had fallen down, extensive restorations were carried out. These included the installation of the box pews and organ loft.

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