Iona Abbey, Medieval abbey on Iona Island, Scotland
Iona Abbey is a medieval monastery on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. The complex includes Saint Oran Chapel, a cathedral space with tall stone crosses, and a covered cloister with vaulted arcades.
Columba of Ireland founded the monastery in 563 with twelve companions and made it the starting point for the Christianization of Scotland. The complex was later raided several times by Vikings and rebuilt as a Benedictine abbey in the 13th century.
The name Iona dates only from the 14th century, a mis-transcription of the Latinised "Ioua" for the island's earlier name Hy or Hii. The Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian order founded in 1938 and based in Glasgow, has restored the site since 1939 and uses the abbey for worship; visitors can join services in the church and see the carved grave slabs of the Macdonald Lords of the Isles in St Oran's Chapel.
The site is accessible year-round and reached by ferry from the Isle of Mull. The path from the ferry pier to the abbey leads through the island village and takes about 10 minutes on foot.
The cemetery Reilig Odhráin holds more than 60 gravestones of medieval kings from Scotland, Norway, and Ireland. The oldest stones date from the 9th century and show intertwined Celtic patterns and inscriptions.
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