Iona

An island of the Inner Hebrides off the coast of Scotland. In 563, it was granted by Connal of Dálriada to St. Columba for the founding of a monastery. It was the base from which the Celtic church, under Columba, Aidan, and their successors, converted northern Britain to Christianity. Lindisfarne was its most important daughter house. The remains of the monastery are earthworks that include a distinctive rectangular vallum or ditched enclosure surrounding the complex. The standing buildings belong to the later medieval Benedictine abbey. The island also has a fine collection of 8th-century standing crosses. In the early 9th century, the Vikings caused the Columban monks to abandon their monastery, and many returned to Ireland.

A small island off the west coast of Scotland. In 563 St Columba and a group of his followers left their Irish homeland to found a monastery on the island; from here they ministered to the spiritual welfare of the Picts and the Irish settlers of Dalriada, and also directed missions to other parts of Britain and Europe. The vestigial remains of the monastery are earthworks that include a distinctive rectangular vallum or ditched enclosure surrounding the complex. The standing buildings belong to the later medieval Benedictine abbey. The island also boasts a fine collection of 8th-century standing crosses. In the early 9th century constant interference by the Vikings caused the Columban monks to abandon their monastery, and many returned to Ireland.