diff --git a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
index cc6c84c8b23..04f7530d6a5 100644
--- a/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
+++ b/org.springframework.beans/src/main/java/org/springframework/beans/factory/annotation/RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2002-2007 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2002-2009 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -27,8 +27,12 @@ import java.util.Set;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.BeansException;
 import org.springframework.beans.PropertyValues;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactoryAware;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanInitializationException;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.InstantiationAwareBeanPostProcessorAdapter;
+import org.springframework.core.Conventions;
 import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
 import org.springframework.core.PriorityOrdered;
 import org.springframework.core.annotation.AnnotationUtils;
@@ -66,12 +70,23 @@ import org.springframework.util.Assert;
  * @see Required
  */
 public class RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor extends InstantiationAwareBeanPostProcessorAdapter
-		implements PriorityOrdered {
+		implements PriorityOrdered, BeanFactoryAware {
+
+	/**
+	 * Bean definition attribute that may indicate whether a given bean is supposed
+	 * to be skipped when performing this post-processor's required property check.
+	 * @see #shouldSkip
+	 */
+	public static final String SKIP_REQUIRED_CHECK_ATTRIBUTE =
+			Conventions.getQualifiedAttributeName(RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.class, "skipRequiredCheck");
+
 
 	private Class<? extends Annotation> requiredAnnotationType = Required.class;
 
 	private int order = Ordered.LOWEST_PRECEDENCE - 1;
 
+	private ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory;
+
 	/** Cache for validated bean names, skipping re-validation for the same bean */
 	private final Set<String> validatedBeanNames = Collections.synchronizedSet(new HashSet<String>());
 
@@ -97,6 +112,12 @@ public class RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor extends InstantiationAwareBeanP
 		return this.requiredAnnotationType;
 	}
 
+	public void setBeanFactory(BeanFactory beanFactory) {
+		if (beanFactory instanceof ConfigurableListableBeanFactory) {
+			this.beanFactory = (ConfigurableListableBeanFactory) beanFactory;
+		}
+	}
+
 	public void setOrder(int order) {
 	  this.order = order;
 	}
@@ -112,20 +133,36 @@ public class RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor extends InstantiationAwareBeanP
 			throws BeansException {
 
 		if (!this.validatedBeanNames.contains(beanName)) {
-			List<String> invalidProperties = new ArrayList<String>();
-			for (PropertyDescriptor pd : pds) {
-				if (isRequiredProperty(pd) && !pvs.contains(pd.getName())) {
-					invalidProperties.add(pd.getName());
+			if (!shouldSkip(this.beanFactory, beanName)) {
+				List<String> invalidProperties = new ArrayList<String>();
+				for (PropertyDescriptor pd : pds) {
+					if (isRequiredProperty(pd) && !pvs.contains(pd.getName())) {
+						invalidProperties.add(pd.getName());
+					}
+				}
+				if (!invalidProperties.isEmpty()) {
+					throw new BeanInitializationException(buildExceptionMessage(invalidProperties, beanName));
 				}
-			}
-			if (!invalidProperties.isEmpty()) {
-				throw new BeanInitializationException(buildExceptionMessage(invalidProperties, beanName));
 			}
 			this.validatedBeanNames.add(beanName);
 		}
 		return pvs;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Check whether the given bean definition is not subject to the annotation-based
+	 * required property check as performed by this post-processor.
+	 * <p>The default implementations check for the presence of the
+	 * {@link #SKIP_REQUIRED_CHECK_ATTRIBUTE} attribute in the bean definition, if any.
+	 * @param beanFactory the BeanFactory to check against
+	 * @param beanName the name of the bean to check against
+	 * @return <code>true</code> to skip the bean; <code>false</code> to process it
+	 */
+	protected boolean shouldSkip(ConfigurableListableBeanFactory beanFactory, String beanName) {
+		return (beanFactory != null && beanFactory.containsBeanDefinition(beanName) &&
+				Boolean.TRUE.equals(beanFactory.getBeanDefinition(beanName).getAttribute(SKIP_REQUIRED_CHECK_ATTRIBUTE)));
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Is the supplied property required to have a value (that is, to be dependency-injected)?
 	 * <p>This implementation looks for the existence of a
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java
index 00c9181636a..3b5f490e22d 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.AnnotatedBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowire;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinitionHolder;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.SourceExtractor;
@@ -123,6 +124,7 @@ class ConfigurationClassBeanDefinitionReader {
 		beanDef.setFactoryBeanName(configClass.getBeanName());
 		beanDef.setUniqueFactoryMethodName(metadata.getMethodName());
 		beanDef.setAutowireMode(RootBeanDefinition.AUTOWIRE_CONSTRUCTOR);
+		beanDef.setAttribute(RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor.SKIP_REQUIRED_CHECK_ATTRIBUTE, Boolean.TRUE);
 
 		// consider name and any aliases
 		Map<String, Object> beanAttributes = metadata.getAnnotationAttributes(Bean.class.getName());
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ConfigurationClassProcessingTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ConfigurationClassProcessingTests.java
index ecde5ce6f55..5c005e6fed8 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ConfigurationClassProcessingTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/configuration/ConfigurationClassProcessingTests.java
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ import test.beans.TestBean;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.NoSuchBeanDefinitionException;
-import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Required;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.parsing.BeanDefinitionParsingException;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory;
@@ -56,9 +57,11 @@ public class ConfigurationClassProcessingTests {
 			String configBeanName = configClass.getName();
 			factory.registerBeanDefinition(configBeanName, new RootBeanDefinition(configClass));
 		}
-		ConfigurationClassPostProcessor pp = new ConfigurationClassPostProcessor();
-		pp.postProcessBeanFactory(factory);
-		factory.addBeanPostProcessor(new AutowiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor());
+		ConfigurationClassPostProcessor ccpp = new ConfigurationClassPostProcessor();
+		ccpp.postProcessBeanFactory(factory);
+		RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor rapp = new RequiredAnnotationBeanPostProcessor();
+		rapp.setBeanFactory(factory);
+		factory.addBeanPostProcessor(rapp);
 		return factory;
 	}
 
@@ -161,13 +164,13 @@ public class ConfigurationClassProcessingTests {
 	static class ConfigWithPrototypeBean {
 
 		public @Bean TestBean foo() {
-			TestBean foo = new TestBean("foo");
+			TestBean foo = new SpousyTestBean("foo");
 			foo.setSpouse(bar());
 			return foo;
 		}
 
 		public @Bean TestBean bar() {
-			TestBean bar = new TestBean("bar");
+			TestBean bar = new SpousyTestBean("bar");
 			bar.setSpouse(baz());
 			return bar;
 		}
@@ -178,4 +181,18 @@ public class ConfigurationClassProcessingTests {
 		}
 	}
 
+
+	private static class SpousyTestBean extends TestBean {
+
+		public SpousyTestBean(String name) {
+			super(name);
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		@Required
+		public void setSpouse(ITestBean spouse) {
+			super.setSpouse(spouse);
+		}
+	}
+
 }