Dunkeld Cathedral in winter
This evening, I am posting information on Dunkeld Cathedral in central Scotland which is dedicated to St. Columba. Today, Dunkeld is a prosperous country town located on the banks of the River Tay and popular with visitors.
Iona Abbey, Scotland
This evening, I am focusing on the small island of Iona which lies off the west coast of Scotland.
Today, this is principally a spiritual retreat centred on the Iona Community which has a line descent from the arrival of St. Columba in AD 563. Columba founded an early Irish-Christian monastery from where Christianity was introduced into Northern Britain. A summary chronology post Columba is as follows:
View of Iona Abbey, Scotland
This evening, I am focusing on Iona which has played a pivotal role in the development of northern Christianity.
St Columba travelled across the Irish Sea in 563 AD and established a monastery on the current site. This would have been a very modest affair compared with both the current building and those built by monks of the Benedictine and Cistercian orders in the Middle Ages. The island had suitable resources for the self-sufficient life style followed by the monks.
