Gudum Priory was a small Benedictine nunnery located in west central Jutland, Denmark from the 1260s until 1573. History Gudum Priory was one of three in the isolated sand hills near Lemvig in northwest Jutland under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Ribe. The original Gudum Priory was built in the valley less than a kilometer southwest of modern Gudum church near what is called the Klostermølle River as early as 1260 and not later than 1268. The papal recognition letter which permits the Benedictines to establish Gudum Priory was recently discovered, though as yet no particulars are available. The original priory was built on the site of Our Lady Spring (Danish: Vorfrue Kilde) in the valley near the village of Gudum, Denmark which had been inhabited since Viking times. Recent excavations by the University of Holstebro found remnants of four Viking houses at Gudum church which date back to between 800 and 900. An early (1100s) church existed at Gudum, but by 1350 it had become a ruin. A new church was constructed in 1350 in Gothic style with the new and reused materials from the older Romanesque church. Gudum is located in the old administrative district of Hardsyssel which means 'region of the forest dwellers'. Gudum means 'God's dwelling' (Danish:gudhjem) and the name certainly dates back to Viking times. Gudum was the site of the Skodborg District Assembly (Danish:tingsted) until 1608. This made it the 'capital' of the district and brought people together for assembly and markets several times a year. The town sat astride the main road between Lemvig and Viborg, Jutland's capital at the time. The remains of old roads crisscross the region many of them focusing on Gudum. The priory was run by the prioress who organized and administered the day-to-day life of the nuns. A prior was appointed by the bishop to take care of priestly functions required by the nuns. The position was often overlooked or remained vacant. Since the prior lived at the priory, the bishop often appointed an elderly canon or other priest from another house in the area to say mass and hear confession. The post must not have been sought after because it was so often left vacant and the nuns complained to the bishop about the lack of a prior. In 1484 the nuns received permission from Bishop of Ribe Hartvig of Ribe to move the priory next