The
Cult of Columba
Columba’s monastery became a centre of
pilgrimage. At first, access was restricted
to high status pilgrims: royal and ecclesiastical
visitors, or those in serious trouble, who
stayed at its guest house, but later more
humble pilgrims would have been allowed access
to the monastery.
The pilgrims travelled to Iona in life and
in death. Many of the kings of Scotland, Ireland,
and even of the Vikings, were buried there.
Some of the most famous Kings of Alba, from
Kenneth MacAlpine to MacBeth, made their final
journey there - across the sound to Iona,
onto the harbour, and up the Street of the
Dead to the burial ground, the Relig Oran.
This
royal tradition was only broken twice whilst
The Western Isles stayed a part of the Kingdom
of Alba - once by Constantine mac Aed ( buried
St Andrews) and again by Malcolm Canmore (buried
at Dunfermline). The last king to be interred
on Iona was Malcolm’s brother, Donald
Bane, before Malcolm’s son, Edgar, surrendered
the island to Magnus, King of Norway, after
he subdued the isles to his will in 1098 AD.
Recently the tradition was revived, and Iona
was again the centre of national mourning
when the Labour leader, John Smith, was buried
there.
Wealthy
pilgrims brought money to the monastery, and in the 8th century
some of the finest Dark Age works of art were created to glorify
Columba. The Book of Kells, now held in Trintity College Dublin,
was crafted on Iona, along with the celtic high crosses from
the 8th and 9th centuries - dedicated to St Martin, St Odhrain,
St John and St Matthew. The crosses are of exquisite celtic
design and were given by wealthy patrons to promote the Cult
of Columba.
In
794 AD Iona experienced the first of many
Viking raids that eventually forced the monastery
into decline. As one historian has commented:
rich monasteries like Iona were the Dark Age
equivalent of drive-in banks to the Vikings.
In
806 AD, a total of 68 monks were slain by
the Vikings at Martyrs Bay, just south of
the Ferry landing. By 825 AD the monastery,
thanks to its exposed position, was virtually
abandoned. St Blathmac refused to leave, and
suffered martyrdom at the hands of Vikings
for refusing to divulge the treasures and
relics of Columba. In 849 AD Columba’s
relics were removed and divided two ways between
Scotland and Ireland.
Iona
may have been abandoned, but in the 10th century
its power was revived after the vikings converted
to Christianity and intermarried with the
local Gaelic populace. New building works
began, such as St Oran’s Chapel, beside
The Road of the Dead; and Margaret, Queen
of Alba, made donations to promote the Cult
of Columba.
In
1200 AD, Raghnall, son of Somerled, virtual
King of the Isles, brought in the Benedictine
Order and built the great abbey. He also established
St Ronan’s Nunnery, named after one of
Iona’s monks, which accomodated up to
400 Augustinian nuns - the ruins of this building
still stand within the village. Raghnall's
sister, Bethag, was instated as St Ronan’s
first prioress.
The importation of Reformed Monastic Orders,
like the Benedictines, to the heart of Columban
monasticism wasn’t without controversy.
The Bishop of Derry attacked the building
works, but Raghnall prevailed and the abbey
was completed. The Benedictines revitalised
the Columban cult on Iona until the Reformation
when the abbey was abandoned and slowly fell
into ruin.
For
just under 400 years the settlement lay in ruins
until, in 1938, the Iona Community, a Ecumenical
Christian group, was founded there by the Rev
George MacLeod. Committed to finding the relevance
of the Gospel, they set about restoring the
ruined abbey.
Factsheet (II) 