IONA
EARLY MONASTIC STIES
IONA
Iona
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It seems fitting to dedicate a
section on this web-site to a specific location which has had Celtic
connections from its earliest recorded history right through to the
present day. This sacred place is the holy island of lona. which lies
south west of the Isle of Mull on Scotland's west coast.
lona is separated from the Isle of
Mull by a narrow stretch of water known as the Sound of lona, and the
island presents an ever-changing face. In winter it receives the full
force of the Atlantic gales and as a consequence the the island is
virtually devoid of trees. Yet on a calm summers day the surrounding
sea is an iridescent blue similar to that of the Aegean, due to the
fine white sand beneath it. The writer speaks from direct experience
as he has stayed there several times, including six winter months in
the Abbey buildings at a time in the 1960's, when Dr George MacLeod
was still actively co-ordinating the present lona Community. The
island has its roots in the dim and distant past, and was almost
certainly regarded as a sacred place in prehistoric times. It is
known that before the time of St Columba there was a druidic school
on the island, and according to one source,at the time of his arrival
the resident Archdruid was a Welshman by the name of Gwendollau, with
a fellow druid called Myrddin. It has been suggested that this could
have been the Merlin of the Arthurian legends, but there is no
evidence to substantiate this.
One of the early recorded Gaelic
names of lona is Innis na Druineach, or The Island of Druids, an
indication of its importance in pre-Christian times. One interesting
fact relating to druidic times is that the present Coronation Stone
in Westminster Abbey began its life as The Black Stone of Destiny on
Iona. It is said to have been used by the druids, as well as St
Columba. The latter is said to have crowned King Aedan on the stone.
In later years it was removed to Scene. where it was reverentially
used for the crowning of Scottish monarchs.
From there it was removed in 1296 to
Westminster Abbey,where it remained until the 15th November, 1996. On
this date, after many years of requests and persuasion, the British
Government finally returned the Stone to Scotland and to its rightful
Scottish seat of power at Scone, where it now rests in splendour.
This connection of lona with royalty
is seen in better perspective when Columba's life is examine.After
launching several missionary journeys to the Scottish mainland
Columba became the spiritual advisor to King Aedan, whose realm
extended from The Orkney Isles to The Isle of Man and certain regions
of Ireland. Aedan himself was of Irish descent. This role of advisor
was a continuation of the druidic tradition of regional rulers having
a priest/seer as their oracle.
Iona
gallery
Much of the information we have
about lona and St Columba was written by Adamnan, a monk living on
the island in the late 7th century. It should be borne in mind that
his writings, the Life of St Columba', were carried out almost 100
years after Columba's death, and probably contain a few elaborations
and discrepancies. Returning to the island itself, a brief tour of
the main sites connected with St Columba will prove interesting. The
Abbey Church of St Mary is the focal point of the island. It was
built on the site of the original monastic settlement of St Columba
in the 6th century. Much of the building dates from the early 13th
century, though some parts, as well as individual carved stones, are
considerably earlier. The original church was said to have been
surrounded by seven smaller chapels, and the remains of two still
exist, as does a small building close to a tiny stream, which was
said to have been the monks' bakery. Wheat was brought to the island
by the monks from the nearby island of Tiree, which despite its
northerly location is very fertile, and receives more hours of
sunshine per day than any other area in the British Isles. St Oran's
chapel, which stands apart from the Abbey buildings, is of a very
early date. Oran, to who the chapel is dedicated, is said to have
been a druid living on the island when Columba landed there in 56.3
AD. He subsequently embraced Christianity and became one of Columba'
s followers. The Abbey itself fell into disrepair at the time of the
Dissolution of The Monasteries by Henry VIII, although pilgrimages to
the sacred island continued to be made by many over the following
centuries. About six miles to the north of Iona is the tiny, unique
island of Staffa with its cave and magnificent basalt columns. No
doubt known to the monks, this was the island which, centuries later,
gave the composer Mendelssohn the inspiration for his Hebridean
works, including the Overture to Fingal's Cave, which can be visited
today (weather and sea-conditions permitting). Close to the Abbey
buildings are the ruins of the nunnery, built in 1203 by Somarlide,
Lord of The Isles, when the island came into his possession. Today
the grounds have been beautifully laid out as a garden sanctuary. In
the vicinity of the Abbey buildings are the fine freestanding crosses
of St Martins (9th century) and St John (8th century). Further down
the small road to the Abbey stands MacLeans cross, a tall and slender
disc-headed cross with elaborate Celtic knotwork and patterning
carved on it. It dates from the 13th century. Close to St Oran's
chapel is the Reilig Odhrain, nowadays known as the Burial-ground of
the Kings. Being the original home of the Black Stone of Destiny, it
is hardly surprising that Iona had many royal links. Irish, Scottish,
Norse and French monarchs and noblemen were buried here from very
early times. The highest point of the island, Dun I, a large granite
outcrop, is just 22ft high, and located on its summit is the Well of
Healing, where remarkable cures are said to have taken place. The
views on a clear day from this high point are breathtaking, and the
summit of the highest mountain on Mull, Ben More (7,500ft) is
immediately across the water to the east.
Visionary oil painting of St Columba
by Jasper Jowett, c.1967.
Near the south foot of Dun I lies
the remains of St Columba's stone beehive cell, said to have been
used by him as a place of retreat and meditation. Iona itself is only
three and half miles long, and at the most southerly part of the
island lies St Columba's Bay. It was here that he initially landed
with his twelve followers in the year 563. He is said to have walked
inland to a raised mound, and surveying the horizon from this point
found that Ireland was no longer visible. Columba's command from the
King of Ireland that he and his followers should leave, and not
disembark until his homeland could not be seen, was fulfilled.
History was in the making at that point, and shortly afterwards the
first Iona community was founded, in the 6th century. At the opposite
end of the island there is another beach, this one of white sand and
known as The White Strand of The Monks. Past events here were far
from savoury, as during one Viking raid on the island it is said that
the inhabitants of the monastery were taken here and ruthlessly
beheaded. The present day Abbey building restoration work was
primarily organised and overseen by Dr George Macleod. In the 1930's
he was a parish minister of Govan, one of the most deprived areas of
Glasgow. In 1938 he resigned and along with six ministers and six lay
workers he set out to rebuild the ruins of the Abbey buildings. After
extreme perseverance, and overcoming many obstacles, some of which
were said by sceptics to be insurmountable, the restoration was
completed in 1967, almost thirty years later. Dr MacLeod was a truly
great man, and the writer of this article had the privilege of
participating in the building project under his auspices, during
1964.
The ideals of the present-day
community, when seen from a historical and spiritual perspective, are
an organic evolution of St Columba's original monastic community on
the island in the 6th century. In the 1990's the Iona Community
attracts many contemporary pilgrims of all ages and beliefs, and from
all parts of the world. Their schedules are always fully booked; a
glowing testament to the rapidly growing living Spirit of the Celtic
Christian way of life. The latter is seen by many as a vehicle in
which Christianity can be safely carried forward into the 21st
century, within an ecological and practical framework whose basis
consists of a joyful, natural, Spirit-filled and planetary-aware way
of life.
Iona
gallery
The Iona community also runs the
Camas outdoor centre on Mull, which is possibly the nearest younger
people will get to emulating the basic, satisfying lifestyle of the
Celtic Spirit. The emphasis here is on the outdoors and closeness to
nature. The buildings at Camas were originally a salmon-fishing
station, and are accessible only by a twenty minute walk over the
moor. Work and worship is at the heart of Camas, and the centre is
orientated towards young people from urban backgrounds. Sensibly, the
staff have decided not to install electricity, thus activities here
are carried out according to the sun (or lack of it) and the seasons.
Camas provides a 'once in a lifetime' experience for many young and
adventurous folk. To end this account of Iona, a quote from Dr
MacLeod would seem very appropriate. He once described the island
thus: "It is a thin place where only tissue paper separates the
material from the spiritual" To be there is to experience this.
lona of my heart, lona of my love
Instead of monks' voices The lowing
of cattle shall be heard.
But ere the world comes to an end
lona shall be as it was.
Gaelic prophecy attributed to St
Columba
We plan to
add further pages to this site exploring Sacred Sites which have
Celtic connections. Celtic
Pembrokeshire.is now up and
running! Meanwhile if you would like to visit Pembrokeshire and
explore the area first hand holiday accomodation is available five
minutes walk from Gors Fawr Stone Circle at Trallwyn Holiday
Cottages. This website (Celtic Connections), the proposed site Celtic
Pembrokeshire and the Trallwyn site are all part of the Trallwyn
webspace. Our idea is to develop the site so that it is a valuable
and interesting source of information and inspiration for one and
all...
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